


Nicholas Chronicles

by whitetiger522



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:15:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26290078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitetiger522/pseuds/whitetiger522
Summary: A boy and a masked man. Read the adventure that happens in a city underground.





	1. Chapter 1

Several hundred years ago, giant humanoid creatures called Titans suddenly appeared and nearly wiped out humanity, devouring them without remorse or reason. What remains of humanity now resides within three enormous concentric walls. Inside these walls, humanity has lived in peace for one hundred years; many people growing up without ever having _seen_ a Titan, and knowing nothing about the outside world. These walls were the outermost wall Maria, the middle wall Rose, and the innermost wall Sheena…but there was another safe haven that was planned for humanity, one that fell into ruin. It is called the Underground, a city located under the capital of Mitras, the area of land surrounded by wall. Once a promise of hope for the safety of all, is no nothing more than a refuge for criminals.

This story is about a boy, a boy who lives in this failed sanctuary.

His name, is Nicholas Reyes.

The rain was coming down hard, being whipped around by the wind. The night sky was cloudy, and not a single star, nor a sliver of the moon shone through. In the darkness of the night, a figure clad in black robes with a hidden face carried a bundle of white cloth. The figure, which was quite feminine in form, approached a mansion. The mansion was located in the countryside, with a small village right on the edge of the horizon. It had two levels, with three windows on each side, on each level. On the left side, stood a guest house attached to the main structure. To the right of the mansion stood a strong oak tree, while neatly trimmed bushes lined the front and various patches of the outside walls were covered by vines and other plant life. The door, which was a mass of polished wood and intricate metal carvings, was lit by the light of two massive lanterns on each side. The figure slowly approached the door, and laid her bundle down. She moved aside a piece and revealed a face, the face of a baby. The baby, feeling the cold of the rain started to fuss and whimper. The figure quickly laid a gentle hand against his face. The hand was covered in smooth, firm, young, tan skin. The baby, feeling the hand's warmth, calmed down, and started to nuzzle his face against it. The hand then found the baby's, and with a firm grip, the newborn squeezed one of the fingers. The dark clad figure then kneeled down, and attached a piece of paper to the cloth with a pin. Then, with tenderness, she bent over and kissed the baby's forehead. The child couldn't help but coo. With force, the person knocked on the door three times and quickly started to run away, wrapping herself tighter and not looking back. A sudden crack of lightning lit up the sky, and started to make the baby cry. But there was no one to hear him on that dark, rainy night.


	2. Chapter 2

A beam of light shone through the window right into the servants' quarters, awaking Nicholas. He was a boy of average height and build, if not on the scrawny side. He had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes, and his skin was more tan than the average person. He got up, and with the rest of the servants, got ready for the day. With a wash of the face, a rinse and spit, and a change into a brown shirt, pants, and shoes, he went off. First, he gathered his supplies in a bucket, and got to it. Nicholas went about cleaning the windows, dusting the library shelves, wiping the grandfather clock, scrubbing the floors, shining the door knobs, polishing the silverware, and peeling potatoes in the kitchen. While he was peeling the potatoes, Nicholas observed the cooks and their ability to quickly dice vegetables while putting certain ingredients together. Before he knew it, it was time to eat lunch. Nicholas, along with the other servants, gathered in the eating quarters to gain energy for the rest of the day. He pulled up a chair alongside the person he ate with the most, Abigail.

"Hello Nicholas, how are things going?"

"Good, thank you, and you?"

"Good, thank you for asking. Oh, by the way, I got you something."

"What?"

With a quick movement, Abigail brought up an object covered in white cloth from underneath the table.

"Happy 7th birthday Nicholas!"

"Oooh, thank you Abigail."

She lifted the cloth, revealing a simple pastry covered with white frosting. Unobservant, the other servants continued their own private conversations. Nicholas started to eat his present along with his lunch.

"Sorry I couldn't give you a proper birthday cake."

"Don't worry Abigail, this is good enough."

The sound of the grandfather clock rang throughout the house, signaling the end of lunch. The servants cleaned up their plates, and went back to work.

"I promise that if we have time at the end of the day, we'll have a proper celebration."

"Alright," Nicholas said with a gentle smile.

* * *

Abigail was a woman of age. Of very old age. She was in her late 70's, had leathery skin, white hair tied in a bun, and had eyes that were worn down with time. Despite all that, she still walked with a regal stature befitting royalty. As always, she wore the same outfit that was issued to every maid in the house, a black dress with white cuffs and a white apron with front pockets. She was in the hallway near the master's main office of work, taking a cloth and gently removing the dust from the hanging pictures of art. She was but a few inches away from the door of the office, when inside she heard the sound of voices. Abigail couldn't help but listen in. A voice came through the crack in the door, a voice that she could tell didn't belong to the master.

"Alright, now let's discuss the final details of our deal."

* * *

Nicholas was busy wiping under a bench inside one of the many corridors in the house. He made sure to get every cobweb and speck of dust. Coming up from the bench, he brushed the dust off his own clothes that collected on him. For a moment, Nicholas looked out of the window that was near him. Off in the distance, he could always see wall Sina from the mansion window, as if it was some far-off land just out of reach. Getting back to work, he set off for the next bench. But, before he could start, Abigail came around the corner. She looked tired, stressed out, and very, very anxious.

"Nicholas!"

The boy, with a look of concern and confusion, responded with a, "yes?"

Abigail came closer to Nicholas, and as she did, he noticed that she was carrying a small pouch in her right hand.

Pulling him close, Abigail said, "Nicholas, I need you to listen to me very carefully, okay?"

"Okay, what is it?"

"Do you see this pouch in my hand?"

"Yes..."

"Alright, this pouch is full of my own personal savings, and I want you to have it."

"Errrr…but why?"

"Look, just take it."

"No Abigail, it's yours."

"Just take it!"

In a flash, she grabbed his left hand and put the money in his palm. She then closed her palm over his to make sure it was secure.

"Look Nicholas, I don't have a lot of time. In a couple of minutes, one of the servants will come looking for you."

"But wh-"

"Just listen! They'll escort you to the front door where two men will be waiting for you with a carriage."

Before Nicholas could ask even a single question, one of the butlers, dressed in clothes much more elegant and professional than what Nicholas was wearing, appeared around the corner.

"Ah, Abigail there you are. Oh, and Nicholas is with you, good. Some gentleman at the front door are looking for him."

Abigail got up, and gave Nicholas a look. Picking it up, Nicholas put the pouch in his pocket. After seeing the pouch was safe and secured, Abigail solemnly said, "Of course."

* * *

Nicholas was led to the front door of the house by Abigail and the butler, where two tall and burly men waited for him. Both were dressed in very common clothes. One wore a dark green shirt with a dark brown trench coat layered over, black pants, and brown shoes. He had reddish hair and dark blue eyes. The other wore a white button up shirt with a black trench coat layered over, dark blue pants, and black shoes. He had dirty-blonde hair and brown eyes, but what stood out to Nicholas was that he had a knife holster strapped to his right leg with a black handle sticking out. Looking again, Nicholas noted that his red-haired companion had a black handle sticking out of his left side at his waist. Their clothes looked dirty, and they smelled of filth and booze. One spoke, "Come along, kid."

The man's voice did not sound friendly, and this made Nicholas stay still in place. Abigail bent down and started to push him forward.

"Go on Nicholas."

Quickly whispering into his ear, she told him a bit of advice.

"Try to get away from them as soon as you can, and good luck."

Before Nicholas had time to respond, the blonde-haired man grabbed his right arm roughly and led him quickly out the front door. In the blink of an eye, the door of the house slammed shut behind the boy. He was pulled to a carriage led by two horses. He was put in first, followed by the two men. The carriage started to move, and they were off. After some time traveling through open fields, Nicholas noticed that they were moving closer to wall Sina. The carriage drove through the gate of the outlet, and the boy couldn't help but stare out the window at what he saw. Stores selling food, stores selling wares, businessmen and commoners, and children playing in the street.

" _Huh, this is my first time seeing kids my own age,"_ Nicholas thought to himself.

The carriage quickly ran through the gate of wall Sina, and thus they were in the interior. They rode a while longer until the carriage finally came to a stop at what looked like an opening to a tunnel. The two men opened the door and exited the transportation.

"Come along, boy," the red-haired one grunted. Nicholas quietly obeyed and began following the men down. They went down many, many flights of stairs, the entire way being lit by candles that were fixed to the wall. The two men continued on their way until they arrived at their destination, the underground district. The place looked like any other city that someone would see above the surface, only where there was supposed to be sky, there was rock. There were giant pillars of stone situated throughout it, connecting to the rock ceiling above, acting as supports. The light from the buildings sparkled, making it look like a jewel hidden inside the earth. Nicholas didn't have that much time to appreciate the view though, as the men hurried him along further. As they were about to reach the bottom of the stairs, for the first time since he left the mansion, the boy spoke.

"Um...excuse me?"

It was the blonde-haired one that responded, "what?"

"Err, where are we?"

"Huh, you didn't know about this place?"

"No."

"This is the underground city boy, the failed safe haven for humanity."

"...what?"

The man gave a sigh of exasperation and continued, "you see, in order to escape the Titans, humanity tried going underground in order to be safe. However, it didn't work out and the place was abandoned. Now it's a haven for criminals and trash with nowhere else to go."

The red-haired companion spoke up, "quite talking to him, we have places to be."

He responded with irritation, "alright, alright."

The group reached the bottom of the steps, which were guarded by a few men sitting around drinking and playing cards while their muskets stayed by their sides, and continued onto the streets. Now that Nicholas was on ground level, he could see that the beauty he thought of the city was fleeting. On the streets he could see pieces of trash, darkened spots on the pavement where there was filth, and people dressed in rags sitting in dark alleyways. He could tell that this was not a nice place. As Nicholas took step after step, a sense of foreboding started to fill within him, as if he were walking to his doom. He started to sweat and his breathing became shallow as the words Abigail said to him echoed in his minde, " _try to get away from them as soon as you can…_ "

The dirty blonde-haired man was on Nicholas's left, the red-haired man was on his right, and he was in the middle. Suddenly, the man on the left stopped.

"Hey look, a coin. Must be my lucky day."

He bent down to pick up the piece of metal, and that was when Nicholas noticed the knife on his right leg. With smooth and controlled movement, he unsheathed the knife with his right hand from the holster. Both men looked in confusion at what the boy had just done, and in a moment of stillness, Nicholas and the blonde-haired man looked at each other.

"What?" the man asked.

With that, Nicholas made a slash at the face of the bent down man with the knife that was pointed down, sharp side out. That was quickly followed by blood and screaming. The man was writhing on the ground holding his right eye. His companion was still shocked by the sudden action, and taking advantage of that, Nicholas quickly jammed the knife into his left thigh. He quickly fell down too, and the people around couldn't help but look at the act of violence. Nicholas looked down at both of his victims, and then looked down at the bloody knife in his right hand, all the while panting heavily. Seeing what he had done, he started to slowly walk away, and then he quickly started to run. At first, the boy ran without direction, he just wanted to get some distance between him and the two men he just attacked. But as he was racing through the streets, a thought occurred to him, " _wait a minute, all I need to do is go back up the stairs."_ Finding thought stairs was no hard task, as they were so high up you could find them even if you were in the middle of the city. As Nicholas ran towards the entrance, thoughts of relief were washing over him.

" _Yes, I'm getting out of he-"_

But these thoughts were cut off, as a man with a musket put himself between the boy and his way back home. He was a very tall man that towered over Nicholas, and spoke in a deep, mocking voice.

"Woah there kid, where do you think you're going?"

"Umm...I'm going up the stairs?"

"No you're not, not without paying the passage fee of course."

"What...but why?"

"Because that's just the way things work done here."

Nicholas was starting to get frustrated, but it was cut off when he realized what was in his pocket. He brought out the coin pouch and gave it to the guard. The man grabbed it with greedy hands and a smile. But as he was counting the coins, that smile quickly disappeared.

"Sorry kid, but this ain't enough."

Nicholas could not believe what he was hearing.

"What, but how much do I need?"

"Much more than this," the man chortled, as he pocketed the pouch. Nicholas noticed what he was trying to do.

"Hey wait a minute, If it's not enough, give it back!."

"What are you talking about kid," the guard said with a confused expression, "you donated this."

With that, he and his friends who continued their card game started to laugh. But Nicholas wasn't. With a face full of fury, he clenched his right hand into a fist and punched the man right between the legs. As he crumbled to the ground, and as his colleagues looked on in surprise, the boy quickly snatched the coin purse from the guards pocket and ran once again while the adults yelled after him. He ran through the dirty streets and dark alleyways of the underground city until he finally tired out behind a pile of garbage barrels. His heart was racing, he was sweating, and his entire body was trembling.

" _Please someone help,"_ Nicholas thought to himself. He started to remember the mansion where he used to be and Abigail.

" _Please Abigail, come help me. I'm scared and alone and I don't know what to do."_

Nicholas was on the verge of tears and all he could do was hold himself while still not letting go of the knife, when he started to notice that someone was coming towards him. He looked to his right to find a man dressed in black shoes, black trousers, and a white button up shirt that had a black vest on top with a bundle of black silk that surrounded his neck. He had piercing blue eyes, jet black hair, fair skin, and was a man of average height with a bit of facial hair. He looked down at Nicholas with a playful smile.

"Hey there kid, you alright?"

He reached out a hand to help Nicholas up, but the boy just quickly slashed at the hand with his knife. The mysterious man reacted with speed, and before Nicholas realized it, he had him by the wrist of the hand that was holding the knife.

"Whoa, whoa, there kid," the man said as he gingerly grabbed hold of the blade and yanked it out of his hand. Nicholas had a look of fear as the man casually tossed the blade to the side.

"You know, kids your age shouldn't be playing with toys like that," the man commented. It was then he started to notice Nicholas's face and expression.

"Hmm, judging by the way you look, you want to be left alone."

With that statement, he started to walk away from Nicholas and back onto the street. Nicholas, with a mystified expression, thought of an idea in his head, and quickly stood up. He followed the man dressed in black onto the street and yelled after him.

"Wait a minute!"

The man turned around in and stared at the boy with a look of confusion.

"What is it?"

"Can you help me?"

The man raised his eyebrows with suspicion, "help you with what?"

"Help me find a place to stay," Nicholas remembered what he had in his pocket and brought it out.

"I can pay you."

While the pouch Nicholas held in his hand was not fat, it was big enough for someone to take notice. In fact, some of the other rougher looking inhabitants of the city took notice quite quickly. The man observed their looks of interest and quickly grabbed Nicholas by the hand and led him into a distant, dark alleyway. He looked around to make sure they were alone, then grabbed the pouch and began counting the coins inside.

"Huh, you're definitely not from around here, are you kid?"

Nicholas hung his head a little and responded with a solemn, "no."

The man was done counting the coins in the pouch, put it away in his right pocket, and after a few second of thought, said, "so, what do you need help with?"

Nicholas looked up, "I need a place to stay."

The man put his right hand to chin, "hmm...I have an idea," he said with a snap of his fingers. Kneeling down to Nicholas's level, he asked, "tell me kid, are you up for a trip?"

Nicholas looked back at him and responded with a halfhearted, "yes."

With that, the man stood up and began to lead the way, until he suddenly turned around.

"Oh, by the way, let's introduce ourselves."

He offered his hand and said, "my name's Lorenz."

The boy offered his hand in return and replied, "my name's Nicholas."

"Alright then Nicholas," Lorenz said, and after they shook, followed up with, "follow me."

Lorenz led Nicholas through the twisting streets and alleys of the underground city.

"Hey, keep up kid!"

"Err, yes sir!"

"Don't ever call me 'sir' again."

Until they arrived at a building that was in front of a slope that marked the edge of the underground city. It was right between two other groups of buildings that were built on top of each other and followed the same slope higher up. The building was a single story ground level cube house made out of plain stone that was worn down and had many cracks. There weren't even any windows on it, just a single locked wooden door. Lorenz walked right up towards it and produced a key from his back pocket. Unlocking the door, he let himself and Nicholas in. What the boy saw wasn't very promising. It was a wooden floor room that had random crates lying about, some with tarps covering them, while others were broken open and empty. Directly opposite the door was a barren bookshelf, and the entire place was lit by only a single lantern hanging from a rope. Nicholas looked around the place with a sense of uneasiness.

"Um...excuse me, but...is this where you live?"

Lorenz just chuckled lightly, and responded, "Yep, I definitely live here. All these nice clothes cost a lot you see, but hey, life's all about compromises."

As he finished saying the words, the man looked around until he spotted a piece of cloth on the floor.

"Ahh, that will do."

He then approached Nicholas with cloth in hand.

"Alright kid, now I'm going to tie this around your eyes…"

The boy quickly backed away.

"Why are you going to do that?"

The man let out sigh and replied, "look, you don't have to worry about me doing anything sneaky. If I wanted to trick you some way, I would have already done it. I'm only doing this so I can keep a secret."

Nicholas looked back at him with suspicion and asked, "what kind of secret."

Lorenz just said, "Hmph, let me tie this around you, and you'll find out."

The boy gave a pause of consideration, and all he could do was think, " _well, It's not like I have any other options."_

He relaxed his stance and approached the man, and he in turn bent down and put the cloth over the boy's eyes. For a time, all Nicholas could see was darkness. But he could still hear. He heard the sound of something making a series of clicks, and then the sound of scraping. The boy then felt someone grab his arm.

"Alright, follow me kid, and try not to trip"

Nicholas was slowly pulled along until the man let go of his arm. He once again heard the sounds of clicking and scraping, only reversed this time. Suddenly, something began to untie the binding around his eyes.

"Alright kid, it's all over."

The boy could see once again, but it took some time for his eye to adjust. He was in a dark tunnel of rock, and at the end of it, he could see a small light. For the next period of time, the child and the man did nothing but walk in uncomfortable silence until they exited the tunnel, and what Nicholas saw was quite the surprise. There was a patch of grass that greeted anyone who exited the tunnel, and beyond of that was a small river that ran under a wooden bridge that sprang from a waterfall that came from a hole in the rock wall. On the other side of the bridge was a home that had two levels, one window in the top right and two on the bottom. All of them had white curtains behind the glass. There was a cobbled walkway that led straight to the door. Lorenz started to walk while the boy gazed at his surroundings, noting that the entire area was being lit by a hole in the top of the cave that let sunlight in which had signs of trees and vegetation on the edges. After a moment of observation Nicholas noticed that the man was walking ahead of him and quickly caught up. Lorenz opened the door to the house and let both of them enter. The door shut behind the boy, and with that, he started to take notice of his surroundings once again. The entire floor of the house was made out of wood except for the kitchen, which was tiled. The entryway of the house was no more than an exquisite looking rug, a coat rack to the left that held a metal ring with two keys, and an umbrella holder to the right. To the left was a staircase that led up right to the second floor. To the back, Nicholas could see the kitchen. In between the kitchen were two doors. One on the left which was underneath the staircase, presumably a holding space for miscellaneous items, and one on the right, which led to an area too small to be a room yet too large to be closet. In fact, the area to the right seemed to be oddly out of place, as if someone put up a few walls and a door there instead of a couch and a painting. It led to a rectangular space that jutted out of the wall. Lorenz led Nicholas to the kitchen, sat him down at a wooden, rectangular table that had two chairs facing each other, and proceeded to talk.

"Okay kid, here's what your situation is. The money you gave me was enough that I will allow you to stay at my place for three days, including today."

Lorenz lifted up three of his fingers on his right hand so that it was clear for them both.

"During those three days, you are free to eat whenever you want, sleep whenever you want, and go to the bathroom whenever you want. And don't do that thing where you think you need my permission to go, I find it annoying. Whenever you need to go, just go, got it?"

Nicholas nodded his head in understanding.

"Now you're free to do whatever you want to do in this house except for a couple of things. One, don't mess up the place. If you do mess it up, you're going to be the one to clean it. Two, there is a certain room you are never allowed to go in, under any circumstances."

Nicholas's eye couldn't help but wander to the out-of-place room that jutted from the wall.

"Besides that, you have free range of the place. Bathroom is opposite to the back door, pantry is next to the stove."

Lorenz started to head towards the door, but Nicholas interjected.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I've got some business to take care of kid."

"Bu-"

But Lorenz went through the door and closed it behind him before Nicholas could finish. There was a moment of silence as the boy just sat in the kitchen alone, and after some time he started to look around once again. To his right was the sink, pantry, and stove, not necessarily in that order. The kitchen sink was attached to the wall, and consisted of a water pump over a large metal basin that allowed the water to drain. The handle was to the side of the pump instead of behind it, and the plug for the sink was next to the bowl. Connected to the right of the sink was a tiled surface that was attached to the corner of the wall. It was an area that was meant for a place to let dishes dry and food to be prepared. Over both the sink and the free area was a window that had a view of the backyard. Next to the sink was the stove. It was a simple wood-burning cook stove that was attached to the wall and had a metal pipe that protruded from the top, went up, and connected to the chimney behind it. It had four stove tops of equal size and a place underneath where the firewood was supposed to go. There was an additional space underneath there for baking bread and cooking large pieces of meat. The wood that was meant to light it was stored underneath. Next to the stove was the pantry. Nicholas finished taking in his surroundings, and hung his head while he started to think to himself.

" _What should I do? I'm here in a place I don't know, have no idea where the heck I am, and I can only stay here for three days. But still, it's nice just to sit down. After everything that's happened today...I'm kinda sleepy."_

His eyes started to flutter and without moving an inch, he laid his head in his arms, slowly closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

It was an underground city where everything appeared white. The building, people, and places all appeared white. While the black lines that defined the objects and people were clear, everything was blank. You couldn't even tell the expression of the people who walked by. However, in the middle of the street, walked three black figures. Two men that were walking and who had a little boy between them. The boy looked at one, and then at the other, but one could not tell what he was thinking. Suddenly, the man on the boy's left stopped. He had noticed a small, shiny, metallic object on the ground. He bent to pick it up. While crouched down, the boy noticed a black object that protruded from the man's right leg. He grabbed it and very smoothly pulled it out. The handle was black, but the blade was silver. The crouched man and the boy looked at each other, and the boy slashed at the man. In that white world, there was a sudden splash of bright red. The man fell down silent, as he had no mouth. The boy and the man on his right looked at each other and exchanged no words or sounds. The boy then stabbed the man in his left thigh. Both figures were squirming on the ground silently from the pain. The boy looked at his black right hand that held the silver-bladed knife. Both were stained red with blood. He dipped his left index finger in the red liquid, and very calmly gave his black expressionless face two red dotted eyes and a scarlet smile.

* * *

Nicholas woke up with a startle.

" _What the heck was that?"_

A bit dazed, he looked to the window, and there were shades of twilight coming threw it.

" _Jeez, how long did I sleep?"_

Suddenly he heard the door start to open, and saw Lorenz come in. He seemed a bit anxious, and now had black leather gloves on.

"Hey kid," he noticed that Nicholas looked half-awake, "did you take a nap at the table?"

"Huh, how did you know?"

"Well, I can tell that you drool when you sleep."

Nicholas looked down at the table and saw a little puddle of spit. His cheeks turned a bright red and quickly cleaned up the mess with his sleeve.

"Well, in any case, I have a proposition for you."

"What is it?"

Lorenz kneeled down to Nicholas's level.

"How would you like to stay here for an entire week instead of just three days?"

Nicholas was in absolute shock, "w-what?"

"Yep, I mean it. The time limit can even start tomorrow."

"O-okay, of course!"

"Good! There's just one thing you have to do."

"Oh, what is that?"

"Follow me."

Lorenz got up to leave and Nicholas ensued. They went through the door and back to where they came from. When they reached the door, the both of them stopped.

"Alright, kid."

"Blindfold?"

"Blindfold."

After covering the boy's eyes and leading him through to the other side, Lorenz took off the cloth and continued to lead Nicholas.

"This way."

They went outside the stone hut and turned from one street to another until Lorenz led him down and through an alleyway until they got to the end.

"You see that man there?"

Lorenz gestured to a very well-dressed man with a black coat, dark blue vest, and brown pants walking down the street that was coming towards them from the right, one who seemed like a wealthy merchant. He was surround by four burly men who carried both knives in their belts and flintlock pistols in their holsters. They surrounded the man at each corner like an escort.

"Yeah, what about him?"

"Well, if you want to stay an entire week at my place, I need you to start talking to him."

"About what?"

"Oh, it could be anything, The weather, people, places, so long as you talk to him."

"Umm, okay?"

Nicholas was a bit confused at this request, but obliged. He started to go towards the man until Lorenz stopped him.

"Wait."

"What?"

"Not yet."

"Why?"

"Just not yet."

Lorenz and Nicholas waited until the man was just about in front of them. Lorenz pushed Nicholas forward.

"Okay, go kid."

Nicholas was starting to get a bit irritated, but still, he obliged. Without much thought, he drove himself right in the way of the man. Both the man and the bodyguards were surprised.

"Um, excuse me sir?"

The man responded with a sneer, "what is it?"

"Well...um...what time is it?"

The man was obviously not in a good mood.

"Look, if you want to know the time, go look at the local clock tower or ask someone else. I have a very impor-"

But before the man could finish his sentence, the sound of a gunshot cracked the air. Instinctively Nicholas flinched and covered his ears. He looked at the man he was just talking to. He had a look of shock on his face, and was just staring off into the distance. Suddenly, Nicholas noticed that a stream of blood was coming from his temple, quite a lot. The bodyguards around them were in shock at what just happened, but then the well-dressed man fell over, and that is when the people in the street started to gasp, scream and run away. Nicholas heard a voice.

"Psst, kid."

He looked to his right, and saw Lorenz standing there, the shadows of the alleyway covering his body. He held a smoking flintlock pistol in his left hand, and the bundle of black silk was covering his face. The man looked Nicholas dead in the eye.

"Run."

He then disappeared into the alleyway.

"GET HIM," the guards yelled and started to run after Lorenz. Nicholas was in absolute shock. All he could do was look at the body of the man, as blood started to pool at his feet.


	3. Chapter 3

Nicholas looked down into his oatmeal breakfast. Across from him was Lorenz, who was digging into his food. There was a dead silence between the two. Lorenz looked up and noticed that Nicholas wasn't touching his food.

"Hey c'mon kid, I made that oatmeal special to thank you for yesterday, you could at least try it."

Nicholas took notice of his words, grabbed his spoon, and simply started to stir his oatmeal around. There were about several moments of silence until Nicholas finally asked the question that was on his mind.

"Lorenz?"

"Yeah kid?"

"Why did you kill that man?"

Lorenz stopped the spoon full of oatmeal that was about to enter his mouth, and put the spoon into his bowl. He gave a sigh, then a response.

"Alright kid, do you want the truth? As in, the whole truth, no bullshit?"

Nicholas was taken aback by the strong language, but he still nodded his head. Lorenz gave another sigh, then told the truth.

"Alright then, the truth is...I'm an assassin."

The kitchen was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Nicholas just didn't know what say, all he could do was have a look of shock on his face.

"So that's why you killed that man yesterday."

Lorenz seemed to actually be surprised himself.

"Huh, so you know what an assassin is?"

"Well, yes, I used to read about them in story books. I just never-"

"You just never thought you would meet one in real life?"

Nicholas just remained silent at that question and brought his head down.

"Oh, that reminds me you able to escape alright from the scene?"

The question brought Nicholas's attention back to Lorenz.

"Erm, yes. I was a bit confused after you...killed him. But I was able to run and get out of there."

"Hm, were you followed back here?"

"Well, I...I don't think so."

Lorenz had a moment of contemplation.

"Well, if you were followed, either the military police or someone else would be knocking down our door, so I think you're alright."

Nicholas hung his head down to stare at his oatmeal on the table, still trying to process what happened yesterday.

"In any case, I better get going."

Lorenz got up from the table, taking his oatmeal with him, scarfing down his breakfast in huge bites. He put the dirty bowl and spoon in the sink, then proceeded to walk toward the front door, leaving Nicholas alone at the table.

"Oh before I forget, I should tell you a few things."

Nicholas raised his head in attention.

"Now then, let's address the obvious, it would be in both of our best interest if you didn't tell the authorities about the fact that I'm an assassin. Not only would I be sent to the gallows, but you would lose your place to stay, and I think you would prefer some place like this for a week then the streets. Right?"

Nicholas nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, we're clear. Now the other things to mention. Since you're going to be staying here for an entire week rather than three days, I should tell you some other things. First, I suggest you buy some new clothes, you've been wearing the same rags since yesterday."

Nicholas looked down at himself and noticed he was right, but to be fair, Lorenz was wearing the same outfit as yesterday too.

"I'm not good at picking out clothes for other people, so if you ever want to go clothes shopping just let me know. Also, if you ever want to bathe, there's an indoor bath in the backyard behind the curtain. But then again, you are a kid, so taking a bath would probably be the least of your concerns. But besides that, all the same rules that I told you still apply and haven't changed."

With that, Lorenz went through the door and shut it behind him. Nicholas was all alone in the kitchen once more. He looked at his oatmeal again, and actually made an effort to eat it this time. After scraping the last remaining contents of the bowl into his mouth, he put the empty bowl into the sink along with Lorenz's. It was then that the boy started to explore the house. He stepped right up to the pantry door and opened it up to see inside. While the pantry wasn't deep, it was wide. This allowed it to have longer shelves, as Nicholas could see the canned and packaged foods that were stacked right in front of the other. The top of the pantry consisted of everything a household could have. Eggs, milk, cheese, fruits, vegetables, juice, meats, bread, flour, sugar, butter, honey, syrup, and plenty of spices. All were covered, preserved, and separated. On the floor and bottom shelf, lay the cookware and utensils. This included plates, bowls, mugs, glasses, silverware, cutting knives, cloth napkins, pots, pans, and cutting boards. The pantry ended at the back door, and opposite of it, was the door to the bathroom. Nicholas opened the door to the backyard, and went outside. Outside in the backyard, the grass was very unkempt and wild and covered all of the ground around the house. There was a tree to the left of the house in the backyard, while the hole in the rock wall was also in the behind the house. The river that it fed into curved around the left side of the house. Also in the backyard was the curtain that Lorenz mentioned, a dark red one. Nicholas examined his surroundings for a few moments more and went back to the house. Inside once again, Nicholas decided to go upstairs. The stairs led to a corridor that opened up to the right. There were two doors at the end of the hallway, one in front and one to the right. Nicholas opened the door in front, and inside was merely a closet with bed sheets and bath cloths along with a few bars of soap. He tried the door on the right, but it was locked. After going back downstairs, he tried looking for something else to do. He looked at the out-of-place rectangular room and tried the door, but it was locked as well. He then Lorenz's words.

" _There is a certain room you are never allowed to go in, under any circumstances."_

For one reason or another, Nicholas started to get this feeling that this was the mentioned forbidden room. With the thoughts of what an assassin would to him if he broke said rule, he quickly walked away. Nicholas looked at his surroundings again.

" _Hmm, there's no books or toys for me to play with."_

Looking around, Nicholas started to notice the griminess of the place that he was in. It wasn't disgusting, but the walls could do with a good dusting.

" _Well, I guess I should just start cleaning. It will keep me from being bored, and at least I'm good at it."_

Nicholas set about looking for cleaning material, finding them under the stairs behind the door that led to a little hiding space. There were the common necessities that a household would need for cleaning, such as rags, towels, buckets, a broom, and a container of oil. There were even candles, matches, firewood, towels, and a step stool. He took out the tools he would need and got to work. He first set about cleaning the dishes from the day's breakfast. He got a rag from under the stairs, the step stool so that he would be tall enough to stand over the sink, and started to pump water. The boy then set about cleaning the spoons, bowls, and pot. After a vigorous amount of scrubbing, he got a towel and put it to the right on the free surface. He then put the bowls, pot, and silverware on top to let them dry. Nicholas then proceeded to clear the place of dirt and filth. He got a bucket, filled it at the sink, got another two rags, wet one while keeping the other dry, then started to wipe down the floor and walls. It was a constant cycle. Wipe the walls and floor, dry them with the dry rag, wet the damp rag when it got too dry, wring it out, and start all over again. He did this all over the entire house, except for the bathroom, of course. He even gave the windows a good shine. But, with all that, he still only managed to knock out a hour and a half. Nicholas, again, was stuck with only boredom. Then his eyes started to wander to the out of place room.

" _No, I shouldn't go into that room, it's probably the one that Lorenz didn't want me to go into. Besides, he's an assassin. Who knows what could be down there. It could be his own personal torture chamber."_

After a moments of silence, Nicholas eyes then focused on the keys that were on the coat rack. After another few moments of hesitation, he got the step stool and placed it right next to the rack and took down the metal ring. After acquiring the keys he made a straight shot to the room with them in hand.

" _Well, one little peek won't hurt. I'll just look, not touch anything, and be out before Lorenz comes back."_

Nicholas tried one key, but it didn't work. He tried another, and this time, he was able to fit it in and turn it. He heard the lock click open and cautiously opened the door. What he found were not hanging decayed bodies or anything of that grotesque nature, but instead, a set of stairs leading down and to the left, with a dim light that seemed to emit from the bottom and bounce off the walls. Nicholas put the keys into his right pocket and gingerly started to proceed down. The stairs descended sharply, but even then a grown man would have to duck to avoid hitting his head. Another curious feature to it was that it had the tightest of turns. A person would walk down, turn left, walk down a couple more steps, then turn left again. This is what Nicholas did, until he reached the bottom. What he found there was like something out of a fairy tale. The room was lit by low burning lanterns that were fixed to the ceiling, and the room itself was quite large. In fact, it was about as large as the first floor of the house, but much more spacious. What was amazing, though, is what the room held. Nicholas gazed at the countless treasures. There was a weapons rack to the left of him. It had swords, daggers, axes, spears, muskets, pistols, crossbows, and bows. Each of these weapons had intricate carvings on them and were even etched with gold and silver. Next to the weapons rack was a full suit of armor, However, it wasn't like the armor Nicholas imagined when he read books about knights. The armor was a smooth, cold, pitch black. It had gloves and boots made out of the same metal, with ridges of metal that overlaid one another. But the most curious thing about it was the fact that the helmet was shaped like some sort of berserk hellhound. Nicholas got a feeling of unease inside him and moved away. At the foremost wall was a large liquor cabinet that housed all kinds of drink from whiskey to wine. Nicholas grabbed one of the wine bottles that was the closest to him and looked at the label. The bottle was caked in dust, and the label was yellow and fraying at the edges. But what really stood out to Nicholas was the date on said bottle.

" _What? This is over one hundred years old,"_ Nicholas thought.

He placed the bottle back and went to the bookshelf that was right next to the the liquor cabinet. There were two bookshelves that touched each other, and they were both filled to the brim with texts. Nicholas grabbed the nearest book that he could, and started to study it. The book itself was quite old, the pages a lemon yellow, and the brown leather cover was cracked like dry earth. He gently opened one of the pages, not wanting to tear it and began to read.

" _Dear diary, I have just returned from my first time seeing the sea. It was a marvel that no one can describe. The feel of the salty sea air on my face, the spray of the ocean, the sound of the gulls that circled overhead, all of it was an overload for the senses. I met a fisherman on my way back, selling some of the strangest sea life I have ever seen. There were fish that had noses like swords and fins like sails, slimy round creatures that had eight...things, and he even offered me soup made out of this creature he called a 'shark'. It was actually quite delicious. In any case, I can't wait for tomorrow, and the adventures that await for me."_

The boy could hardly make sense out of anything that was written in the journal.

" _What the heck is this guy talking about? The sea, fish with swords for noses, sharks? What even are these things?"_

Nicholas looked at the date of the entry, and again, he was taken aback.

" _This is dated back about one hundred years ago too?"_

He looked around at all the things that surrounded him and thought, " _just what is this place?"_

Putting the book back where he found it, Nicholas then went to the giant chest that was located against the right corner of the room. It was a simple one of wood and metal, with a curved top and a box bottom that reached up to the boy's eyebrows. Surprisingly, there was no lock. The boy opened the chest with both hands, and was confounded at what he found. The chest was filled with a single large pouch, but strewn loosely about it were random valuables. They took all kinds of shapes, from gold goblets, to pearl necklaces, to even gold crowns with jewels fixed on them. Nicholas opened the pouch and found nothing but coins inside. His hand started to reach for the treasure, but he stopped himself.

" _No, no. It wouldn't be smart to steal from an assassin."_

Nicholas tentatively closed the chest, and quickly moved on so that he wasn't tempted any further. The final item that drew attention was a wooden clothes rack filled with some of the most exquisite clothing he's ever seen. All of them were for males, of course, but they seemed like the kind of things that royalty would wear. There were suits that were laced with silk, velvet, and fur. Some even had a gold trim, and the colors they ranged in were expansive, from the brightest of reds to the darkest of purples. There were even some silver masks and some pure white fur pieces. Seeing all that the room had to offer, he started to head back up the stairs. But before leaving, he glanced back at all the things inside the room.

" _Well, I could spend a_ few _more minutes in here."_

Nicholas spent a very large amount of time going from activity to activity. He tried to lift some of the weapons off the rack, but even the regular swords were a bit too heavy for him. The weapons he found easiest to use were the daggers, and for a while, he simply spent the time swinging them around and trying to do some simple tricks.

" _Hmm...I wonder if these are still sharp."_

He put his thumb against the edge to test it, and shortly cut himself. After yelling out in pain, he started to suck his thumb and put them back. He looked at the black armor again, and still wouldn't go near it. Going to the liquor cabinet, he grabbed one of the already opened bottles and put it to his lips, giving it a taste. Quickly gagging, Nicholas put it back. He then went to the bookshelf and started to pull out random texts to see which ones caught his fancy. The boy even tried some of the clothes on to see what they felt like. Of course, it didn't help that they were much too big for him. For a long period of time, Nicholas just busied himself with the weapons, books, and clothes. He did this until his stomach began to growl. After putting everything back in its proper place, he started to climb the stairs again until he got to the top. He closed and locked the door behind him and set about preparing lunch for himself. Looking inside the pantry, and after a moment of thinking, he got out a pot and started to fill it with water. He then got a few matches from the closet under the stairs, put a few logs in the stove, and started a cooking fire. Nicholas then retrieved the stool from the coat rack and put it in front of the place where the dishes were dried. The boy then set about putting all the dishes away in order to free up space. He then got meat, potatoes, carrots, and broth from the pantry. He also got a cutting board and knife. Nicholas checked the heat from the stove and decided to put the pot on. He then set about cutting up the meat, potatoes and carrots, being careful not to cut himself. The pot was beginning to simmer, and noticing this, Nicholas added the broth bit by bit until he put all of it in. Putting the container aside, he then added the meat, potatoes, and carrots. Nicholas then got a wooden spoon from a pantry, and after some stirring, he tasted his work. He gave it a bit of thought, and went back into the pantry to get some spices. The small jars weren't labeled, so Nicholas opened them one by one and set about smelling them. After some consideration, he chose a select few and put the rest back. He added certain amounts of each to the stew while stirring with a new spoon, along with the mandatory salt and pepper. Getting a lid from the pantry, he covered the pot and just let it be. Nicholas got a bowl, a spoon, a mug, and a napkin out for himself and set a place at the table. With that, Nicholas looked at the pot and started to think.

" _Hmm, I've still got a few minutes before the stew is ready."_

Nicholas climbed the stairs to the top floor of the room, and went back to the closed door on the right. He tried the handle again, but it was still locked. Reaching into his right pocket, he pulled out the metal ring of keys, and tried them one by one until the right one fit into the lock and turned it. He opened the door leading into a room, Lorenz's room. There was a plain bed in the upper left corner under a window, which had a dark red blanket and a single pillow. Nicholas peeked through the window and simply saw what was in front of the house. What was of notable interest was that opposite the bed in the right corner was not a simple wooden dresser, that was opposite the window with a wicker hamper on the right side of it in the corner, but a wooden desk. There was a single long drawer in the center and three to the right that were taller and stacked on top of each other. There was a feather pen in an inkwell in the right corner, a used candle in the left, and a few pieces of blank paper on top. Nicholas went over to the desk and started opening drawers. In the center one, he found a letter opener, blank envelopes and paper, used sealing wax, and a box of matches. He also found a miniature flintlock pistol, thus prompting him to close the drawer. The first drawer to the right contained pieces of paper that were separated by the red string that was tied around them. Some bundles were larger than others. Nicholas took one out, being careful not to unravel the red string, and couldn't make sense of what he read on the top paper.

" _This is nothing but numbers and people's names who I don't know."_

He put the bundle back, and closed the drawer. He opened the drawer under that one, but all he saw were the same pieces of paper tied together with red string. Nicholas opened the drawer at the bottom and found nothing more than a large spool of red string and a pair of scissors. Suddenly, he heard a door open, and a familiar voice call out.

"Hey kid! You here?"

Nicholas quickly shut the drawer and left the room. He closed the door behind him and hurried downstairs to meet Lorenz who was just entering through the front door.

"Oh, hey Lorenz, how are you doing?"

"Fine, thanks."

"What are you doing here?"

"Eh, I just decided to eat here today instead of a tavern. Sorry if I'm disturbing your peace."

"Oh no, don't worry about it, I'm just going to eat here after I take care of some business upstairs."

"Uh, of course, no problem."

Lorenz walked up the stairs, while Nicholas went back to the kitchen. He got on his step stool again and proceeded to remove the lid from the pot. He stirred the stew and gave it another taste. After giving a look of satisfaction, he put the spoon near the sink.

" _Hm, maybe Lorenz will want some."_

Nicholas went back into the pantry, brought out a bowl, a spoon, a mug, and a napkin, and set a place for him at the table. He also got a piece of bread and a knife and cut a few slice for Lorenz and himself. Then he heard the yell.

"Kid! Get over here!"

" _Oh no."_

Nicholas headed for the stairs and saw Lorenz coming down. He did not look happy. Nicholas met him after Lorenz reached the bottom.

"Kid, you went into the room I told you not to go into did you?"

"L-look, I didn't break any of the weapons alright?"

Lorenz had the most confused of expressions, "huh?"

"Downstairs, I didn't break any of the weapons, I didn't mess with the suit of armor, I didn't open any of the bottles of liquor, I didn't tear any pages of the books, or dirtied the clothes, and I didn't steal anything from the chest."

Lorenz still had the same expression, "huh?"

"The room downstairs, in the basement, that's the forbidden room you're talking about right?"

"Wha-no of course not! I meant my room."

This time, it was Nicholas who had the confused expression, "huh?"

"MY room! That is the room you're never supposed to go in."

"Bu-but why?"

"Are you kidding me?! Do you know how much evidence is in there. Not only can the documents in there send me to the gallows ten times over, but it could incriminate a great number of powerful people. People who would want to see me tortured in every sense of the word before serving my head on a silver platter if those files ever got out."

"But, but I thought you would be upset that I played with anything down there, especially the weapons."

"I don't care about that. A single paper in my desk up there is way more dangerous to me than any weapon down there."

Nicholas's cheeks started to become a bit flushed, "well, if you didn't want me to go into your room, then why did you leave me the keys?"

"What?"

"Yeah, you left me a key to every single locked door in this house on THIS metal ring," Nicholas got the keys from his pocket and held it right up to Lorenz.

"So if you didn't want me to go into this room I'm never supposed to go in, then why did you leave the keys for it?"

"Um...well…"

After a moment of silence between the two, Lorenz gave his answer.

"Because it was a test!"

"What?"

"Yes, it was a test! A test to see if I could trust you...and unfortunately you failed."

" _Pfft, yeah right."_

Lorenz could tell by the look on Nicholas's face that he didn't believe it for a second. He gave a sigh, "look kid, it may not seem a big deal to you but-"

Before Lorenz could finish he gave a sniff of the air, then he gave a series of sniffs almost like a bloodhound, and began to head towards the kitchen. Nicholas was honestly confused.

"Wait, Lorenz, where are you-"

Nicholas saw him go to the pot on the stove. Lorenz put a finger in the stew and gave it a taste. He made the sound a person makes when they are pleasantly surprised.

"Hey kid, did you make this?"

"Err, yes."

"Hm."

He went into the pantry, brought out a wooden ladle, a container of milk, got his bowl from the table, and began serving himself. He poured himself a drink, sat down, and simply began to eat. Nicholas, seeing his chance, just quietly maneuvered around Lorenz and started to serve him the same meal of stew and bread with milk to drink. He sat down at the table, and began eating.

"Oh, by the way kid, making a delicious stew doesn't get you out of trouble."

" _Drat, so close."_

"Look, I'm willing to overlook it this time, just never go in my room again. Understood?"

"Understood...as long as you don't try to convince me that leaving your key behind is the equivalent of a test."

"Huh, didn't fool ya, did I?"

"I'm a kid, not stupid."

"Ehh, point taken."


	4. Chapter 4

Lorenz walked through the front door of his house and proceeded to lock it. As he turned around, he noticed that the door to the basement was slightly ajar. He opened the door all the way and continued downstairs. When he reached the bottom, he immediately saw Nicholas sitting at the foot of the bookshelf with a few books piled on top of each other on both of his sides.

"Huh, I had a feeling I would find you here."

Nicholas looked up from his book to respond.

"Oh, Hello Lorenz, did you come here to eat lunch again?"

"Yep, pretty much. I honestly don't get that many chances to eat at home like this. Slow week."

Lorenz sat next to the pile of books that were to the right of Nicholas, and the boy simply continued to read what was in his hands.

"You sure are finding those books pretty interesting?"

"Well, yes. They're talking about things that I've never even heard of or even imagined, like these things called 'jungles,' which are supposed to have these beautiful flowers and colorful birds."

"Oh yeah," Lorenz said as he looked over Nicholas to see what he was reading, "I remember getting that book."

The statement caught Nicholas's attention, "What do you mean?"

"That book you're reading, I remember how I got it. Hah, that was a day. You see, this rich noble who liked to collect rare books paid me in order to find that piece of literature," Lorenz gestured towards what Nicholas was holding, "in a run down castle."

Nicholas looked at Lorenz with an expression of interest.

"So I go to this castle, walking through the front door and finding the secret underground passage, easy enough. But immediately after I walk no more than two steps into the tunnel, this giant compound bow launches an arrow the size of my head at my chest, nearly skewering me like a pig. Luckily, I was fast enough to duck and hit the floor, nearly extinguished the torch I was carrying doing it."

"Well, what happened next?"

"The better question is what _didn't_ happen next. That castle had about every trap that a person could think of. Spikes in the floor, giant, swinging blades, poison darts, hidden snakes, and the worst one had to be the giant, hairy spiders. But in the end, it was worth it, as I finally reached my destination. The noble gave me the key that was needed to open the door to the room beforehand, and boy, were there sights to see. It was like a giant, underground greenhouse that had some of the strangest creatures I've ever seen."

"Were they alive?"

"Huh? Oh no, they were all dead. Either stuffed or stuffed inside jars, but strange nonetheless."

"Oh...was there anything in there like treasure?"

"No, nothing like that. Although there were also some withered flowers, plants, and fruits that looked exotic. But the most important thing that was in there was the book I needed. The guy who built that castle must have come here when the walls were first built, and wanted to store his collection for safe keeping."

"Wow, that sounds like a pretty exciting day."

"It was, until the noble who payed me turned it sour."

"How?"

"I get the book to him and I'm going to hand it over, but as it turned out, he already got one! Right after I left to get his damn book, this guy contacts him and tells him he's willing to _sell_ it! So right when I get back, I don't get a simple 'thank you,' I get a 'Oh, thank you, but as it turns out, there was no need for you to do that.'"

"That's pretty disappointing."

"Well, in the end, he still paid me. Not only that, but I also got a pretty interesting book out of it, so I chalk it up to a win. Oh, by the way, there was something that that I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"How did you make that stew yesterday? It was pretty good."

"Oh, it's something I learned from the chefs while helping out in the kitchen."

"Where?"

"At the mansion where I worked as a servant."

Lorenz started to have a look of his own curiosity, "you know kid, if you don't mind my asking, how did you end up in the underground?"

Nicholas gave off a look of perplexity, "what makes you ask?"

"Like I said the first time we met, it's pretty obvious that you weren't from around there. I'm just wondering how a kid servant in an above ground mansion ends up in the underground city?"

Nicholas looked down at his book when he gave his answer, "well you see, I don't even know myself. It started out like any other day, but things became strange when Abigail-"

"What a minute, who's Abigail?"

Nicholas looked at Lorenz again, "Oh, she's my...um...well...I wouldn't say mother, but more like my...guardian."

"What makes you think she's not your mother?"

"Well, if you ever met her you would know, you see she's," as Nicholas was about to say the words, he got on his knees, leaned close to Lorenz's ear, and whispered, " _she's old. But she hates it when people say that."_

Lorenz gave a look of indifference "Ehh, that's understandable."

As Nicholas returned to his sitting position, he continued, "don't get me wrong, even though she's old, I still like her. She's like a grandma, an aunt, and a best friend all in one. She's pretty nice too."

Lorenz gave a bit of a chuckle, "Yea, I can see how you would like her."

Nicholas returned to looking at his book, "as I was saying, It was a pretty normal day, but then, Abigail took me to the front door and these two tall, mean-looking guys put me in a carriage and took me to the underground city."

It was this piece of information that caught Lorenz's attention, "Hmm, what did they look like?"

Nicholas looked up trying to recollect, "well, one had dirty blonde hair, and the other had reddish hair."

Lorenz looked away and put his hand to his mouth in contemplation. Nicholas looked on in confusion.

"Umm, Lorenz?"

This question snapped Lorenz out of his thinking. He looked to Nicholas, who just seemed bewildered.

"Huh? What is it?"

"Well, your mind just seemed to wonder."

"Oh...you're right...say kid, do you have somewhere to go after this place?"

"What? What makes you ask that?"

"Look kid, whether or not you realize it, you will have to move out of this house at some point. I just want to make sure that you have somewhere to go when the time comes."

"Well, I guess I would just go back to the mansion."

"Hmm...by the way, where is this mansion you used to live in?"

"Well, I don't know specifically, all I know is that it was close enough to wall Sina that you could see it."

"Anything more specific."

"Well...Oh! I remember that we were near the southern district of Ehrmich."

"Hmm, yeah, that should be enough for me."

Lorenz got up to leave the basement while Nicholas just looked puzzled at his last statement, but before he left, he turned around to say, "Oh by the way kid, you're coming with me to the baths tommorow."

"Huh, why?"

"Because you're starting to smell ripe, and I don't think the clothes you've been wearing for three days straight helps."

Nicholas looked down at his attire with a bit of chagrin.

"So you're coming with me to the baths tomorrow, and you're either going to buy new clothes, or you're going to wash the current ones you have on."

"Well, why do you care what I smell like?"

"Because you're going to be my roommate for another five days, and I'd prefer it if you didn't smell like a rotting corpse."

With the that, Lorenz began to climb up the stairs, with Nicholas sticking out his tongue to him as he left. Nicholas started to read his book again, but after a moment of thought, he lifted up piece of his shirt to his nose and smelled it. After gagging for a moment, he shut the book in his hand and put it in the pile to his left. He went up the stairs to the main level, and saw Lorenz in the kitchen eating a sandwich and drinking something out of a mug. Nicholas shut and locked the door behind him and went upstairs. He headed upstairs, went into his room, got his coin pouch in the top drawer, and put it into his left pocket. He went back downstairs and began to head for the front entrance.

"Hey kid, where are you going?"

"Outside, I'm going to explore a bit."

"Alright, but don't you want any lunch?"

"No thanks, I already ate."

"Alright, just remember what I said."

"I know, avoid dark alleyways and suspicious places, got it."

With that, Nicholas walked right up to the front door. After a second of hesitant, he grabbed the keys in his right pocket, and unlocked it. He turned the handle and walked through. Putting up his hand in front of his face in order to block the sun, he gave himself a second to adjust to the light. After a moment, he could see clearly in front of him, and he was outside. Nicholas shut the door behind him and locked it. Afterwards, putting the keys back into his pocket, he walked down the stone road and onto the cobbled path. He followed it until he finally got onto a main street. There was an influx of people walking and going about their business.

" _Well, I guess I should just take care of the clothes first."_

Nicholas saw a young woman dressed in a beige, button-up top and a bright yellow long skirt. She had white cuffs on her top, and had on a sapphire necklace embroidered with diamonds. She had red hair and black eyes. He approached the woman very bashfully, with red cheeks, and asked, "umm, excuse me, ma'am?"

The woman looked at Nicholas with a tender smile, "yes?"

"Do you happen to know where the closest clothing store is?"

"Oh yes, you simply follow the road up," the woman pointed to right, "and it's on the corner to your left."

Nicholas gave a little bow, "thank you Miss."

The woman gave a little bow back, and said, "you're welcome."

Nicholas headed off to where the woman pointed, turned left, and quickly found the store. It was easy as there was a metal bar that pointed out and had a wooden sign above it that read, " _ **Schwarz's clothing."**_

Nicholas went into the store, and a bell ringed above him that announced his presence. A man came from a backroom. He had on a brown long-sleeved shirt and had blonde hair, a beard, and green eyes. He said to Nicholas, "Yes, can I help you young man?"

"Oh, don't mind me, I'm just here to buy clothes."

"For youself?"

"Yes."

"Alright then, clothes your size are to your left."

"Thank you."

Nicholas went to the left wall and gazed at his options. There were all sorts of colors and types of fabric to choose from. The pants were folded on wooden shelves and the shirts were located on racks hung up with wooden hangers. The prices for the clothes were shown by paper that was attached to either the wooden shelves or at the end of the racks.

Nicholas thought to himself, " _hmm, better keep things cheap."_

After a moment of contemplation, he selected a dark blue pair of pants and a grey shirt from a rack.

" _Hmm, let's see...this cost this much, and this costs this much….so…"_ looking at the prices and doing a bit of math, he concluded, " _these two things should be enough. Besides, I can always just wash the clothes I have on."_

Going to the counter, Nicholas started to observe the store around him. The store was an average clothing store. On the left wall were clothes for little children and people in their adolescence, and had garments for each gender. On the wall opposite where clothing for just adult men and women. In the window were some mannequins that showed off the merchandise. Nicholas went to the front counter, which had an inkwell and small pads of paper, and presented the items he wanted to buy. The clerk started to add up the cost.

"Now let's see...this, combined with this…"

"Umm, excuse me?"

"Yes."

"You wouldn't happen to have any socks and...hmph, undergarments...my size?"

"Hmm, let me check in the back."

The man disappeared into the backroom, and after a minute or two, appeared again. He carried a bundle of underwear in one hand and a package of socks in the other, both held together by red string. He put them on the counter and continued his calculating.

"Now then, add this and this…"

He grabbed the inkwell and the pad of paper from the counter, wrote the amount due down, and ripped the piece of paper from the pad. He showed it to Nicholas.

"Can you pay for this?"

"Of course."

Nicholas got the coin pouch from his pocket and began counting the amount owed. He put his payment into the pouch, and put his change back into his left pocket. He gave the pouch to the clerk who opened it and made sure everything was there. He put the pouch underneath the counter and asked, "Would you like something to carry your clothes?"

"Yes please."

The man got a burlap sack from underneath the counter and placed all the clothes inside it. He handed it over to Nicholas.

"Thank you for your business, have a nice day."

"Same to you."

Nicholas took his burlap sack and exited the store. After walking a couple of steps up the street, he reached into his left pocket, and brought out his change. Staring at his palm, he saw that he had three coins left.

" _Well, I was able to buy at least one new set of clothes, but I doubt that I could buy anything else."_

With that thought, he but the coins back into his pocket and glanced at his surroundings.

" _Hmm, I wonder what else there is to see?"_

* * *

Lorenz exited his house and locked the door shut behind him.

" _Huh, I wonder how the kid is doing by himself?"_

He went down his stone road, made a left turn, and went down a maze of streets and alleyways until he reached an alleyway that had stairs that led down. At the bottom of the stairs waited a man, wearing dark brown dress shoes, tan pants, a matching tan vest over a white button up shirt with a black necktie, and had a dark brown trench coat that was unbuttoned. He had circular black glasses on, and a gold chain protruded from the front left pocket of his vest. His skin was fair, his head was bald, he had no facial hair, and had quite a number of lines on his face. Lorenz greeted him.

"Hey Kuno, how's it going?"

"Hey Lorenz."

Lorenz went down the stairs to meet him at the bottom. Once he got at the bottom, Kuno started the conversation.

"So tell me Lorenz, anything interesting happen to you lately?"

"Well, I got a new roommate."

"Is it a girl?"

Lorenz gave a look of unamusement, "Do you honestly think that I'm that lucky?"

"Mmm, no."

"It's a kid."

"Oh...is it...?"

"No, he's not mine. I found him in the underground city."

"Huh, didn't know you were that generous."

"I'm not, he paid me for room and board. But the fact of the matter is, he isn't FROM the underground district. As it turns out, he actually used to work in a mansion near the southern district of Ehrmich."

"Really?"

With a look of contemplation, Kuno followed up with, "how does a kid from an above ground mansion end up in the underground city?"

"That's what I want to find out."

And with that, Lorenz began to leave, " Kuno, I'm taking the rest of the day off."

"What? What the hell are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

With a smile, Lorenz looked back and answered, "satisfy my curiosity."

With that, he exited out of the alleyway and proceeded to the nearest carriage

* * *

Lorenz got out of the carriage at the edge of the village. He gave the driver, who was dressed in a black suit and top hat, a few extra coins.

"Stay here for a little while, okay?"

"Yes sir."

Lorenz went on his way while the driver lit up a pipe. He looked up at the sky and took note of the sun's position.

" _Hmm, about three, I guess."_

He saw the mansion at the very edge of his line of sight. He started to walk, and walk, and walk, until he finally reached his destination. He approached the mansion from his left side, hiding in some bushes. While there, he reached into the right inner pocket of his vest, and brought out two black leather gloves. He put them on, and proceeded to come out of hiding. He crept along the side of the house until he reached a window. Peeking in, he saw a maid that was sweeping the floor. He looked around, finding a tree that was relatively close to the wall. He began to scale it, quite quickly in fact, and looked for his next move. He noticed that there was a stone ledge that separated the two levels on the outside. He jumped from his vantage point on the tree and was able to grab onto the ledge. Finding a foothold and using the outside windowsill, he pulled himself up and stood on the ledge. He quickly shuffled to the side, out of the window's way, peeked inside to make sure no one spotted him, and continued across the ledge, It wasn't until Lorenz got to the window at the very end that he found something of interest. The master's study. It had a fireplace opposite to the door, with a massive scenic painting atop it. There were giant bookshelves that lined the walls and reached the ceiling. There two giant double doors, with plants inside ceramic pots on both sides. Making sure no one was hidden inside the room, Lorenz reached into the left inner pocket of his vest with his right hand and pulled out a knife. This knife had a brown wooden handle, a hole in the handle for a person to put their index finger into, and had a curved blade like the claw of a beast. He slipped the blade between the the window pane to get at the hook that was keeping the window locked. He got the hook out of the hole, and wiggled the knife so that the window swung outward. Climbing through the window, he carefully landed on the red carpet floor, and made sure the window shut carefully behind him. Creeping on the desk, he looked at the drawers. The one that caught his attention was the one that had the lock. He searched the center drawer of the desk and found a letter opener with a wood and silver handle. Jamming the blade between the lock and the wood, he wiggled it until finally it opened. Once opened, he saw the papers that were inside, and began rummaging around.

* * *

Nicholas got through the front door of the house and locked it. He went upstairs to his room, unpacked his newly-bought clothes and put them all in the top drawer of his dresser, and put the change he had in his pocket on top of it. He laid down on his bed and began to close his eyes, when he heard someone come through the front door.

"Hey kid, you here?"

Nicholas got up from the bed and responded.

"Yeah, I'm in my room."

"Alright, just...just stay there."

The tone of Lorenz's voice caused an alarmed look to appear on Nicholas's face. He heard Lorenz come up the stairs, and Nicholas simply sat on the bed. Lorenz slowly opened the door, and entered the room. In his left hand, he held a single piece of paper. The expression on Lorenz's face made Nicholas make an expression of concern.

"What's the matter Lorenz?"

"Well...it's just...just...read this."

He handed Nicholas the piece of paper.

"I'll make dinner tonight kid, just come down when you're ready."

Lorenz left the room, leaving Nicholas alone with the piece of paper. Wondering what was in his hand, Nicholas began to read.

_**Hello,** _

_**This is a letter informing you what will take place tomorrow concerning your servant named Nicholas Reyes. Seeing as how you would like to sell him, we would be happy to purchase the boy. From what you described, he seems like a healthy, attractive child, with all his body parts accounted for. It will be very easy for us to find a buyer for him. We know how you nobles like to keep your names clean, so wanting to get rid of a bastard son born of a whore is entirely understandable to us. We will see you tomorrow, and you'd better not have lied about the state of the merchandise.** _

Nicholas had a look of absolute shock and horror. He fell to his knees on the floor, looking at the paper. Just two words swirled around his head.

" _Son...sell...son...sell...son...son...son...sell"_

Nicholas looked at the paper with a sense of anger, tears welling up in his eyes, and tore it to pieces. Looking at the scraps on the ground, he quickly put them all in his mouth and swallowed. Holding himself, began streaming down his eyes, and he fell to the floor, crying.

* * *

Nicholas was cleaning the entryway of the mansion, which was polished granite. He was on his hands and knees, using a rag and a bucket to get rid of the dirt. Abigail came up behind him.

"Hello Nicholas, need some help?"

Nicholas looked at her with a smile and said, "sure Abigail, but only if you have the time."

She gave a chuckle and said, "of course I do."

She left and came back with a bucket and rag. Abigail and Nicholas were cleaning different parts of the floor, when Nicholas asked, "Hey, Abigail?"

"Yes?"

"Why am I called 'Nicholas?'"

This caught Abigail's attention, "huh? Why do you ask that?"

"Well, children get their names because parents name them, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, I've never seen my parents...so who named me?"

After a second, Abigail responded, "You see Nicholas, you were left at the front door of the mansion as a baby. A little piece of paper was attached to the blanket that you were wrapped in, and that had your name on it. That's why you are called 'Nicholas Reyes'"

"Oh, okay."

Nicholas went back to cleaning and Abigail did the same, until Nicholas asked another question.

"Hey Abigail?"

"Yes?"

"...Who are my parents?"

Abigail took longer to respond, until she finally said, "well...you...you see.."

"You don't know, do you?"

"Umm...no...I don't."

Nicholas looked over to Abigail and simply smiled, "it's okay Abigail, I don't think there would be anyone out there who would know that."

Nicholas went back to cleaning the floor, and Abigail did the same, but not before looking at Nicholas and having a look of sadness.

" _I'm sorry Nicholas. I promise I'll tell you...someday."_

* * *

Nicholas woke up on the floor of his room, his tears dry. He looked around, noticing that the sun was setting. He slowly got up from the floor, onto his knees, and wiped his face. He went through his door, and proceeded to go downstairs. When he got to the bottom, he saw Lorenz in the kitchen, waiting at the table. There was a pot on the stove, and a bowl for each of them with a mug, napkin, and spoon. Lorenz saw him. In a gentle voice, he said, "Oh, hey kid. How do you feel?"

Nicholas just looked at the ground.

"Well, I made some soup, want some?"

Nicholas went to the table and sat down. Lorenz served them both, and began eating. For a moment, there was absolute silence.

"So, kid...why don't we buy some sweets tomorrow? I've been having a craving for them."

Nicholas said nothing.

"You know, you don't _have_ to take a bath tomorrow, it was just a suggestion."

Nicholas still said nothing. Lorenz gave a sigh, "Look kid, do you want me to do anything?"

Nicholas just quietly got up from the table, and headed for the front door.

"Hey kid, where are you going?"

Nicholas stopped, but didn't turn around, "I'm going to end my life."

Nicholas continued to head for the front door, but Lorenz, after having a gasp of shock, sprung up from the table and ran to get in between Nicholas and the door.

"Wait, what the hell, kid! Why do you want to kill yourself?"

Nicholas responded, but with a voice that had a few cracks in it, "because let's face it, I can't go back to the mansion, I'm not wanted there. Not only that, but in about four days, you'll kick me out of this house, and I'll be forced out onto the street. Sooner or later, someone will kidnap me, and I'll just be sold like a piece of meat...again. Might as well end things before they get that bad.

Nicholas tried to go around Lorenz, but he still attempted to block his way.

Nicholas just looked up at Lorenz with empty eyes, "don't worry, you can still keep my money."

Lorenz had the most depressed of expressions, "Now wait a minute kid, you don't have to _kill_ yourself."

"Why not? Where else am I supposed to go?"

After a moment of contemplation, Lorenz had his answer, "you could stay away with me."

Nicholas had a look of absolute surprise, "Really?"

"Yeah, you could be my...what do they call it?...my assistant! Yeah, you could be my assistant and help me around the house. You're good at cleaning and cooking, so you definitely would help."

Nicholas just looked Lorenz in the eye, his face began to fall, and he started to tear up. Lorenz squatted so that he was at Nicholas's level, and held out his right hand.

"So what do you say? Do we have a deal...Nicholas?"

Nicholas extended his right hand as well, while using his left to wipe his eyes, and they both shook hands.


	5. Chapter 5

The sky was a dark blue, with a few clouds in it. The moon was full, but it was starting to disappear. On the horizon, beams of light began to cut through the sky, and the dark blue sky became lighter and lighter. Before long, the sun began to shine on the houses and buildings inside wall Sina. Nicholas was in his room, in bed, and the light that was illuminating the day crept through his window, waking him. He slowly rolled up into a sitting position, and with a stretch and a yawn, he was completely awake. Getting up, Nicholas went over to his drawer, and got dressed for the day. He got into his outfit of a dark red shirt and brown pants. Nicholas headed out of his door and went straight downstairs to the kitchen. Opening the pantry door, he got out a pot and pumped a small amount of water into it from the basin. Fetching some wood and matches, he started a fire in the cooking stove. After getting the stepping stool and putting the pot on one of the burners, he got a bag of oatmeal from the pantry along with a large spoon. When the pot started boiling, he started to put scoops of the oatmeal in the pot one after the other. Stirring the meal, he got some sugar, milk, and cinnamon from the pantry, adding each of them little by little. Nicholas then set about making a place for Lorenz and himself at the table. Giving the oatmeal one last stir, he looked around, making sure everything was set. With that Nicholas waited, and waited, until he gave a grunt of annoyance and went back upstairs. Opening the door to Lorenz's room, he saw him sleeping upside down in his bed with the sheets sprawled, still in his pajamas. Nicholas gave a sigh and went over to wake him up.

"Lorenz, wake up."

Lorenz just snorted and turned away in response. Nicholas simply had nothing but a look of indignation.

"Lorenz, wake up now," he said as he shook him, " I'm going to use the wax."

Again, he just snorted in response.

" _Alright, wax it is."_

Nicholas went over to his desk and got the block of sealing wax and a box of matches from the top drawer. Lighting a match, he went over to Lorenz, and held the wax up over the back of his neck while putting the flame close to the block. It started to melt, and a single drop landed on Lorenz's skin. That made him wince, and it was the second one that made him sit at attention like a cat dropped into water.

"AHHH...SON OF A BITCH!"

Lorenz grasped the nape of his neck to get at the hot droplets. He looked around in confusion until he saw Nicholas with a block of wax that was melted at the top in one hand and waving a match out in the other.

"What the hell kid, why'd you do that!"

"Because you said it was what I could do if you started to sleep in."

Lorenz had a look of realization as he said, "Oh...I did say that."

Getting up from bed, still rubbing the back of his neck, he looked at Nicholas and asked, "So, what's for breakfast?"

"Eh, cinnamon oatmeal with your choice of drink."

"Hmph, not bad. Mind giving me a moment?"

"Sure thing," Nicholas said while leaving the room. He went downstairs, serving himself and waiting for Lorenz to come down. A moment later, he came down the stairs and walked straight to the basin, putting water in his hand and applying it to his neck. After soothing his burns, he got his meal and sat down at the table.

"So Lorenz, do you have anything for me to do today?"

"Yeah, a couple of things actually," and after swallowing a spoonful of oatmeal, " first, I want you to go to the general store to get sugar, soap, matches, and oil. Next, I want you to visit the butcher shop. I ordered some meat and he should have it ready. After that, head down to the bakers and buy a few loaves of bread. Finally, go down to the bookstore. There're some certain materials I want you to get."

Nicholas looked up from his breakfast and asked, "That it?"

"Mmm… yep, that's it."

Both of them finished their meal. Nicholas went about washing the dishes while Lorenz went back to his room. After washing them, Nicholas got a wooden cup from the pantry and some salt. Pumping some water into the cup, he added the salt, and proceed to rinse his mouth and gargle. After spitting into the basin, he filled it once again. Rinsing the cup and putting it with the dishes drying to the right, he proceeded to wait for Lorenz next to the door. Coming quietly down the stairs, Lorenz had a couple of papers in one hand and a large coin purse in the other.

"Alright kid, here are the orders for the items I need," handing the papers to him, "and here is what you're going to pay with," handing the coin purse next.

"You know what to do."

With a nod, Nicholas grabbed the keys off the coat rack and went right through the front door. Locking it behind him, he set out. But before even walking a few steps, something began picking at his mind.

" _Hmm, I feel like...I'm forgetting something today?"_

Looking at the sky for a few seconds, Nicholas just shrugged the feeling off. Rolling up the papers and putting them in his left pocket while placing the coin purse and keys in the other, he continued on his way. Going down the cobbled road and onto the main street, and after a few turns and such, he finally arrived at his first destination. Heading through the door, Nicholas looked around the general store, viewing the various goods. There were an assortment of all kinds of objects lined on shelves, such as lanterns, containers of oil, firewood, brooms, dustpans, and dishes. Alongside these were open boxes of matches, candles, and silverware. Mixed in with these objects were wrapped cheeses, canned meats and vegetables as well as sacks of flour together with sugar.

" _Ahh, there it is."_

Heading over to the nearest bag, which was about the size of his entire torso, Nicholas heaved with all his might to pick it up. He had to apply an equal amount of effort in order to not fall back once the sack of sugar was off the ground. Step by step and around the other patrons, Nicholas headed toward the counter, where a pretty brown-haired girl was at, asking politely, "excuse me miss?"

The girl responded with a smile alongside a look of concern, "yes?"

"I would like to buy this," gesturing toward the load that he was holding in front of him.

"Okay then…" the girl said, giving the boy a look of solace.

Paying the girl what was owed after setting the sack down, Nicholas then took a big gasp of air, and once again lifted up the bag. It was definitely a challenge for him. Heading for the door, he looked back and said through strained breath, "have a nice day."

The girl at the counter waved back and gave a concerned, "likewise."

Heading out through the door and across the streets, Nicholas trudged his way back home.

" _Thank goodness the house isn't_ that _far away."_

Coming up to the stone road of the house, Nicholas had to open and close the gate with just his feet. Overcoming that obstacle, he went to the front door and set down the bag of sugar as gently as he could. Producing the key, he unlocked it and made sure to swing it wide open. With sugar in tow, he made a beeline straight for the kitchen pantry, where he successfully put the bag away.

" _Alright, one down, the rest to go."_

Getting the paper that contained the checklist for the day from his pocket, Nicholas folded down so that the sentence, " **get sugar,"** was hidden.

" _Now that I got the sugar...I'll just have to go right back to the general store in order to get the soap, matches, and oil."_

The thought was enough to make Nicholas sigh. Putting the paper back, he went back to the ajar door.

" _Huh, I wonder what Lorenz is doing?"_

* * *

At a hole in the wall house in the southern corner of wall Sina, three men were sitting around a table with wine bottles in their hands.

"Shit man, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know, just give me some time to think."

"Time to think, we don't HAVE the time to think."

"Would you just shut the hell up."

"It's your fault that we're in this god forsaken mess."

"Hey, the guy pulled a knife on me!"

"Yea, and that guy also happened to be the brother of the local lieutenant. What the hell were you thinking!"

"Well I was drunk…"

"Oh, there's a surprise!"

"Hey! If you got something to…"

"Shut it, both of you!"

Everyone at the table fell silent

"Now look, no point arguing about who gutted who and who had a bit too much drink. Were all royally screwed, and need a plan to get un-screwed. If anyone's got any ideas, I'd love to hear them!"

No one spoke.

"That's what I thought"

The fellow who stopped the argument got up from his chair.

"Now look, I'm going to go take a leak. When I come back, we're going to figure this problem out TOGETHER and not argue like a bunch of clucking hens."

As he left the table, the two remaining men simply got back to their drinking. The mediator of the group left through the door and walked the weed-filled, stone street until he found a nice, lonely, corner. He proceeded to relieve himself.

"Damn, this is what I get for being the boss of those two idiots."

After the last few drops, the man made sure to secure his breeches. It was then that a black gloved hand reached out and covered his mouth. The other one, holding a knife, reached around and slit his throat. The fellow fell to the ground clutching at the wound. He looked up, and saw a person dressed in black boots, black trousers, and a white button-up shirt that had a black vest on top. As the man looked up at his assailant with a scornful expression, the attacker replied back, "ah, don't look at me like that. At least I let you **finish."**

* * *

Nicholas continued on his way through the street, making sure he would complete the task at hand. After going a couple of blocks and making a left, he arrived at " _ **Fleisch meatery."**_ Going through the wooden swinging doors, Nicholas noticed all the people that were sitting or standing around waiting. After letting the person in front of him finish his order, he walked right up to the butcher Fleisch. He was a large, red-headed man with a moustache who was always wearing a blood-stained apron and gloves.

"AHH! My favorite little _wurst_ , how are you today?"

"Good, thank you Mr. Fleisch."

"Oh please, how many times do I have to repeat myself, it's Roger to you."

Nicholas retrieved a rolled paper that was in his pocket and handed it to the butcher.

"Ahh, yes, I have this order ready for him."

After placing the order into the front pocket of his apron, he noticed a few more people coming through the door.

"Ehh, Nicholas, if you don't mind, would you please wait behind the shop for the order?"

Nicholas, understanding the situation, nodded with a simple, "of course."

Making his way through the incoming customers, he headed out the door and went around the building until he arrived at the back. Behind the store was a large road meant for transport carriages and such. The back door to the store itself was two large wooden doors that swung out, not unlike that of a barm. After waiting for a while, Nicholas found himself an abandoned box, turned it over, and simply sat down. He started to hum a little song to himself in order to pass the time. After many moments or so, the back doors opened with a moan, and out stepped the butcher. He held a burlap sack with a large square object bulging out of it. Nicholas walked up to receive the package. The butcher handed it to him saying, "sorry about the wait, you wouldn't believe how busy we are today."

"No worries," Nicholas said as he slung the sack over his shoulder, "although, if you want to avoid days like this, why don't you just have orders be mandatory and ban walk-ins altogether."

"Ehh, I always run the idea by my wife, but she always shoots it down in the end. 'Nooo,' she says, 'you'll drive away the customers,' she says," the butcher gave a sigh of frustration and shook his head, "but in the end, she's right. When push comes to shove, I'd rather have a room full of customers waiting impatiently for their requests rather than a few ones who bother with the orders."

Nicholas gave a little chuckler, "well, I'm just glad me and Lorenz can help a little by waiting a bit."

With that, he set off with his load while waving goodbye.

"Have a nice day Mr. Fle...err…Roger."

"Good day _wurst_."

* * *

The two men continued to sit over the table and drink, until one of them spoke up.

"Hey, why isn't Anselm back yet."

"Ehhh, I don't know, may be he was holding it in for a long time before."

"Dammit, man, is there ever a time when you're sober."

"Ehhh, maybe about...a third of the day."

"Just get off your ass and see what's wrong with him."

Before either of them could move, a voice came through the front door.

"No need gentleman," and as the two drinkers looked at the owner of the voice, "he's just getting some fresh air, that's all."

As Lorenz strode confidently through the door, he leaned on the table with his left hand. The sober man was on his right and the drunk was on his left.

"Wha-who the hell are you? Where's the boss?"

Lorenz calmly replied, "like I said, he's getting some fresh air."

The sober man slammed a fist down onto the table, "Hey, you better stop bullshitting us or you'll get a bullet in your head."

"Whoa, whoa, there buddy. Calm down, I'm not bullshitting you. Like I said, your boss is just getting some fresh air...he's just doing it through the hole I made in his throat."

The man on Lorenz's right reached for the gun on his waist, "why you…"

But before he could draw, Lorenz drew the knife from the his vest. He made a clean, upward slash, and the man's throat began spilling blood. He quickly fell to the floor gurgling. His companion, with sluggish speed, reached for his own weapon. Lorenz noticed, and used the his left hand that he was no longer leaning against to strike. He sent the man flying with the back of his fist. The fellow hit the ground with a thud, and could do nothing else but look up with fear.

* * *

Taking a right at the next corner, going up two blocks, and then taking a left, Nicholas came across the local church. The church itself was circular and very high up, with stained glass windows, and round, marble columns. A man at the front of the church preached.

"Come and give thanks! Give thanks to the gods that have blessed us with these walls!"

Nicholas gazed at the church for a moment longer, then kept on walking until he smelled what he was looking for. He followed his nose until he found the bakery. Smoke was coming from the store's chimney, which explained the smell of fresh baked bread. Going through the door, he saw a woman with ashen hair dressed in a bright yellow button-up top and an apron selling a wide assortment of bread. There was sourdough, pumpernickel, wheat, white, some with sesame seeds and some without. They all lined the shelves along with bags of flour. A man wearing a dark green tank top and brown pants with brown hair came through the back and put a few fresh loaves into the glass case that was a part of the counter. A few people were in the store, but just seemed to be browsing. Nicholas approached the counter.

"Excuse me miss?"

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"I would like about a half dozen loaves of bread please."

"Plain?"

"Yes please."

The woman went into the back and brought out a burlap sack full of his order. Nicholas got the coin purse from his pocket and paid the amount due.

" _I swear, the people who profit the most are the ones who make burlap sacks,"_ Nicholas thought as he swung the bag over his shoulder. As Nicholas headed for the door, he and the woman bid each other a simple farewell, and he was out on the street and walking again.

" _Alright, I got the sugar, meat, general goods, and now the bread,"_ he gave a bit of an exasperated sigh, " _It's such a pain to go back and forth between the house and where I need to buy something. Wish I had a wheelbarrow or something."_

* * *

Lorenz was walking on the sidewalk until he finally stopped at a tavern. It was located between two warehouses, with several sketchy characters outside. He entered through the door and scanned the room. Some of the patrons gave him a dirty look, while the rest just minded their own business. It was the man in the farthest corner that drew Lorenz's attention. Making his way through the crowd, Lorenz took a seat right across from the mysterious patron dressed in casual businesswear. It was him who spoke first, "so, is it done?"

"Yes, it's taken care of."

"Hope you didn't make too much noise."

"Don't worry, they didn't even fire a shot."

"Well, so long as the job is done," the man said as he stood up, "the rest of the money will be sent to you."

The man headed for the door, but Lorenz spoke up, "By the way, my condolences for your loss."

The mystery man looked back, "Eh, he was always getting drunk and picking fights to prove how much of a man he is. I'm honestly not surprised this happened."

Lorenz was a bit taken aback, "Well...still…"

"So long as everyone understands that I still know how to make people 'disappear,' everything's fine with me."

As he headed back for the door, he spoke, "might hire you again, _Messer_."

With that, he was out, and Lorenz just simply stayed in his seat.

* * *

Nicholas went through the gate with a stack of books held tightly together by string.

" _Ahhh, of all the things they don't put into a burlap sack, and they're the things that stretch my arms when I hold them in front."_

Unlocking and pushing open the front door, Nicholas brought in the books and used his foot to close the entryway. Making sure to lock the front door, he then took the books upstairs and put them on his bed. After putting them down, he himself dropped onto the bed.

"Uhh, so tired…"

Nicholas closed his eyes for a couple of seconds, and then a few seconds later, opened them back up. He tilted his head back and took note of the light coming through the window.

"Hmm...about dinner time."

After a few more seconds of rest, he sprung up from the bed and went downstairs to the kitchen. He got out a pan, two pots, and the stepping stool. Filling both of the pots with water and setting them on burners, he lit up a fire in the stove. From the pantry he got two potatoes, a can of green beans, and the large box containing the newly bought cuts of meat wrapped in paper. He also got flour, oil, a knife, and some assorted spices. When the pots started to boil and he felt heat of the pan, Nicholas started to cook. He rinsed the potatoes in the basin and put them into one of the pots. Then he used a knife to open the can of green beans and put them into the other one. After that, he put some oil into the pan which replied with a sizzle. Getting out two cuts of meat and unwrapping them from the paper, he set about coating both with flour, using the paper that previously covered them to catch any flour that fell. After that, Nicholas then started flavoring both pieces of meat with the spices he retrieved from the pantry. When all was done, he laid both pieces in the pan, and they started to sizzle and pop from the heat. Retrieving a fork and tongs from the pantry, Nicholas eyed the meat, potatoes, and green beans closely until they were done. Putting out the fire with a bucket of water, he then started setting the table for him and Lorenz. Placing a container of butter and a knife on the table, everything was set. Nicholas proceeded to wait, and wait, and wait.

" _Alright, if he isn't here in five minutes, I'm eating without him."_

Five minutes passed, and Nicholas made good on his word. He placed a piece of meat, a potato, and a few scoops of green beans on his plate. After pouring some milk into his wooden mug, he sat down and prepared to eat. Nicholas cut off a piece of the meat, which still had some juices in it, and started to raise it to his mouth. It was then that the front door was unlocked and Lorenz came through it.

"Hey kid, you her-oh, there you are."

" _Huuh, figures."_

Lorenz shut and locked the door behind them and proceeded to the kitchen.

"Woow, that looks pretty tasty."

"Well, I wouldn't know. Here," Nicholas said as he gestured to the chair opposite him, "I made a place for you."

"Oh, thanks kid, but no thanks. I already ate, you see."

Nicholas had a look of inconceivability, "really?"

"Yeah, decided to fill up after a job. Although, thanks for the effort."

Nicholas just sighed in response, "don't mention it."

Lorenz did sit down though and continued the conversation, "so, got everything done today?"

"Yep, I did it," Nicholas replied while putting some food into his mouth, "although I got to ask, why did you want the books?"

"Oh, they're for you."

Nicholas almost choked on his food, "me?"

"Yeah, you."

"But why?"

"Because obviously you can't go to public school. You're my assistant, which means it would be a lot more convenient for you to be home schooled."

"But why do I have to be schooled at all?"

"Like I said, you're my assistant, and one thing I won't allow will be an assistant that's uneducated. I do have standards after all."

" _Of course you do."_

"So, starting tomorrow I'm going to expect a bit of school work along with you doing some chores around the house. You've had about a year to settle in around here and I think that's enough time."

It was this that jogged Nicholas's memory.

"Wait Lorenz, what did you say?"

"Huh? I said it's been a year around here so I think that's more than enough time for you to adjust."

"Oh...so that's it."

Lorenz just had a look of confusion.

"What? What's it?"

Nicholas just looked down and started picking at his food.

"Today...it's my eighth birthday."

Lorenz looked shocked.

"Huh, it is?"

"Yeah. The first day we met, in that underground city, it was my birthday."

"Well...why didn't you tell me."

"It's just...with everything that's happened...I kind've just forgot. Besides I didn't want to bother you."

Lorenz sprung up from his seat and stated, "hey kid, something like that's no bother at all. Stay right here."

After that statement, he headed out and locked the door behind them. It was Nicholas's turn to look on in confusion.

" _Hm? Where is he going?"_

The boy dismissed the thought and went back to eating his food

* * *

Nicholas was putting his dishes into the basin when Lorenz came through the door again, holding something that was covered in white paper.

"Ahh, good. The table is cleared," he said.

As he set it on the table, Nicholas eyed the the object Lorenz held with curiosity.

"Hey Lorenz, what's that?"

"Oh, nothing much.."

As he said the words, Lorenz took the paper off the object, revealing a chocolate birthday cake. Nicholas just marveled at it.

"Is-is that…"

"Yep, a birthday cake for you. Although it would be nice to share."

"W-why would you do this?"

Lorenz just extended his hand and placed it on Nicholas's head, "because it's your birthday kid, and everybody deserves to have their birthday celebrated."

Nicholas looked up at Lorenz, and just smiled.

"Besides, it give _me_ an excuse to pop open a bottle of wine. Might just get one from downstairs. Oh! Before I forget," Lorenz said as he slammed a fist into his open palm, "can't forget these."

He went to the space under the stairs to obtain a box of matches while simultaneously getting a box of birthday candles from his pocket. After placing the eight candles on the cake, Lorenz lit each of them up. He then looked at Nicholas and said, "Well don't just stand there, you get the plates, knife, forks, glasses, and milk, I get the wine."

Both of them went of to get the items, and both came back.

"Alright kid, now make a wish, and blow."

Nicholas closed his eyes for a few seconds, opened them, and blew every candle out with a single breath. Serving themselves some cake, both of them sat down and began to eat.

"So kid, what do you want," Lorenz said with a mouthful of cake.

"What do you mean," Nicholas replied with a mouthful of his own cake.

"Well, to me, every birthday means that the person getting older gets one birthday present. So what do you want?"

Nicholas thought for a moment with his fork to his mouth, and replied, "well...a wagon wouldn't hurt."

Lorenz just chortled.

"A wagon it is. Although, we'll have to get it tomorrow. All the toy stores are probably closed. Though, I still want you to start studying tomorrow..."

Nicholas started to have a look of irritation.

"Ahh, what the hell. You can have the day off. A new toy bought should always get broken in. Now then Nicholas," Lorenz said, as he filled up his glass with wine, "let's see how good your drinking skills are. I challenge you."

Nicholas gave back a daring smirk in return, and proceeded to fill up his own glass to the brim with milk. Both competitors looked each other in the eye.

"Three…"

"Two…"

"GO!"

With that, the two began to chug.


	6. Chapter 6

It was mid-day, and the sky had few clouds in it. Nicholas was walking along the sidewalk with his wagon in tow. The wagon had a black metal handle that was attached to a plain wooden body, with the wheels being made entirely out of tin. Inside it were a sack of flour and a few blocks of wrapped cheese.

" _Now then, all I have to do is go to the market."_

The boy walked straight down the street a couple of blocks until he took a left. It was then just a straight shot for him until he arrived literally in the middle of the market walkway. It was a massive stretch of booths that went as far as the eye could see. Most of them were well-dressed merchants selling watches or rare collectibles, the kind of things that nobles would buy in order to brag to their friends. But from time-to-time, you could find a grungy-clothed hunter or farmer from wall Rose selling fresh meat or produce. Nicholas made his way through the market, being sure to be wary of other people, and went from stall to stall.

" _Hmm, it's a bit sad that this is the only market we have in wall Sina. Lorenz says there's even more_ _places like this in wall Rose and Maria with much more interesting goods."_

Looking up at the sky, Nicholas had a look of interest cross his face.

" _I wonder if even some of their outer districts have these."_

Focusing back on the ground, he still was on the lookout for what he needed, until he finally saw it. It was a stand that was full of fresh fruits and vegetables, all sprinkled with water. The person operating the stall was a man with brown shoes, dark blue pants, and a red and black checkered shirt. He had black hair with streaks of grey in it and green eyes. Nicholas approached the stall and walked straight up to him.

"Excuse me sir."

The man looked down him, "Yes?"

"I would like a head of lettuce and a couple of tomatoes please."

"Hmph, okay then."

The man grabbed the requested items and handed them over to Nicholas. He put them in his wagon, and in turn, gave the man the money that was due.

" _Alright, I can start heading back."_

The man and the boy bid each other good day, and Nicholas started the walk back home. He took a left, went for a couple of blocks, then took a right. The boy just kept on walking and walking, until he heard a sound. Cocking his head to and fro, he could hear raised voices. Following the noise, Nicholas soon came across a cobbled alleyway with rows of houses on either side. He was about to round the corner, but quickly stepped back so that he was hidden. In the alleyway were three boys, two of them were holding another one against a wall. The two standing side-by-side were both clothed in brown dress pants with black leather shoes. One had a dark green, button up shirt and blonde hair while the other had a light blue one with black hair. They were both looking at a boy dressed in brown pants, dark blue shoes, a white shirt, and a brown vest. He had glasses, freckles, and red hair. Nicholas stayed at his corner and listened in on the conversation.

"Hey there Wilfried, how's it going?"

"Uh-uh, good. Th-thanks for asking."

"You know, I really didn't like what your family said in the newspaper yesterday."

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that your dad wrote that my family are nothing but a bunch of stealers!"

"Yeah," his companion shouted.

"No! He wouldn't say anything like that!"

"Well he might as well have. So tell me, how should I respond to his little article?"

"I-I don't know."

"Hmm...I'm think I'll do it by making sure that he understands that when you stick your nose into others people's lives, the people you care about might turn black and blue."

The boy raised a fist that was aimed directly at the redhead's face.

"Wait! P-please stop!"

"Hmph, I might stop if you could offer a few coins."

"But...but I don't have anything on me."

"Tch, then black and blue it is."

Cocking back his fist, the blonde haired boy was about to strike, but not before Nicholas stepped out of his corner.

"Hey! Stop that!"

The entire group, startled by the sudden outburst, looked towards it source. Nicholas was standing there with both of his hands clenched into fists at his sides. The blonde boy lowered his fist, but still held onto his target.

"Who the hell are you?"

"My...my name...I'm Nicholas."

"Well **Nicholas** , why don't you mind your own business."

Nicholas didn't say anything in response, he still just stood there with an obstinate look on his face. The blonde boy just gave a sigh, and handed off his mark to the black-haired companion besides him.

"Hold him."

"Sure"

He then casually strolled up right to Nicholas, and they each gave the other a good long stare, until finally the blonde boy broke the ice.

"Hey, how's it going?"

Nicholas didn't know how to respond.

"Umm...good."

The blonde boy put an arm around his shoulder and led him further into the alley.

"Look, do you know who my father is?"

"N-no?"

"My father is Rein Frei, and I'm his son, Engel."

"Okay…"

"My family is responsible for the production of flour within the walls, basically, we're the reason why anyone can even eat bread. This guy's father," he gestured to the boy with freckles, "said that my family were a bunch of monsters because we take advantage of the fact that flour is such a needed commodity. So we're just teaching him that when you say hurtful things like that, some people might take offense."

Nicholas had a look of dissent flash across his face, and slapped away the hand that was over his shoulder.

"Even if that's true, just because someone says something you might not agree with, doesn't give you the right to hit them."

Then Engel's look of concession turned to ire.

"Alright then, so what? What are _you_ going to do?"

He said this as the fellow pushed Nicholas further into the alley.

"Are you going to be the hero and come to the damsel's rescue?"

Nicholas just look down in frustration. The boy, seeing his chance, continued with his verbal barrage, "here, I'll be the gentleman and let you have the first punch."

He offered his cheek to him, tapping it with a finger, "come on, do it."

Nicholas, with a look of building anger on his face, formed his shaking right hand into a fist. He pulled it back, ready to follow through, put just stopped altogether. The boy slowly lowered his fist down, and let it unfold into an open hand. Engel just looked on with amusement.

"Hmph, well if you aren't going to throw it," he said as he grabbed Nicholas's shirt harshly, "then _I_ will!"

As he said the words, he prepared to hit his opponent square in the face. But before his fist could make contact, it was stopped by a black leather hand.

"Whoa, whoa, what's going on here?"

Nicholas recognized the voice, and looked up. It was none other than Lorenz. Engel snatched his hand away from the man's grasp.

"The better question is, who are you?"

"Oh, just an adult who is wondering why kids are making each other more bruised than usual," he said in a jocund nature.

"Well, why should you care?"

"Because that boy you were about to discolor," pointing to Nicholas as he spoke, "is my assistant, and I would like it if you didn't tack on healing a battered face on top of his tasks that he's supposed to do."

Engel just looked up to Lorenz with a face of irritation, "assistant, eh? What does he help you with? Making frocks?"

The boy's partner chortled. Lorenz just said with an air of tranquility, "no, we only do that when your father wants to act like more of a girl than he already is."

It was Nicholas this time who gave a bit of a chuckle. The blonde boy, however, was not amused. Letting go of his adversary's shirt and turning to face Lorenz, he shouted, "when I tell my father of this…"

The man just interrupted with a wave of a hand, "yeah, yeah, yeah, he'll stuff me in a barrel by tomorrow morning."

He then picked up Engel and quickly turned him upside down, holding him by his ankle with a single hand.

"Doesn't change the fact that he's not here to see this right _now_."

Dropping the boy on his back with a resounding thud, Lorenz made gesture with his head while giving a very flinty, "beat it."

Engel called for his companion as he got up, "come on!"

The black-haired boy responded with haste and both of them made their way out of the alley. As both of the assailants left, Engel called out, "my father will hear about this!"

In response, Lorenz just called back, "yeah sure, and make sure to tell him I have his frock ready and waiting."

He then focused his attention back onto Nicholas.

"So kid, you alright?"

The boy just looked down and dusted himself off.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Lorenz had a flash of realization across his face and looked around.

"Oh, that's right. There was another boy here, one with glasses..."

It wasn't long until he found that boy heading out of the alleyway as well, opposite of where the bullies made their exit.

"...and there he goes. _Didn't even say a 'thank you,'_ " he said under his breath. He looked back down at Nicholas, who was just staring at the ground with a despondent look.

"Hey kid," Lorenz asked as the boy looked up in response, "you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," he responded while still looking at the ground.

The man had no choice but to shrug it off.

"Alright then…"

Both of them headed back to the main street where Nicholas's wagon was stationed.

"Hey kid, I still got a few things to do, so I'll meet you back at the house. Okay?"

"Okay…"

Lorenz, giving one last look of concern to the boy, said, "okay then."

With that, he was off on his way while Nicholas headed back to home. He had a look of defeat plastered across his face the entire way. Finally arriving at the door, he produced the key and went inside with wagon in tow. Making his way towards the kitchen after locking the door, he put all the items in his cart onto the kitchen table. Nicholas then took his wagon outside through the back door and parked it in the backyard. He went back inside and put all the items on the table into the pantry. But then, the boy just sat at the table and simply laid his head in his arms. Nicholas started to stare off into nothing, contemplating. After some time, the lock on the door made a clicking sound and the entryway opened with Lorenz standing in it.

"Hey kid! I'm home!"

He heard no response, and saw the boy sulking at the table. Heading directly over with a face full of inquiry, he asked, "hey what's wrong? You'd usually be cooking something at a time like this?"

Nicholas still didn't respond. Lorenz started to scratch the back of his head.

" _Hmph...I'm just no good at these kinds of things."_

Sitting across from him, he got straight to the point.

"Kid, why do you look like your dog just died?"

It was this statement that snapped the boy out of his daze.

"W-well, I'm just thinking about what happened in the alleyway."

"Oh, _that_? Those were just bullies, nothing special."

"I know, but...I've never been in that kind of situation before."

"Huh? Why not? Didn't you have any kids around you that liked to throw their weight around?"

"No, not really. There weren't any kids around me that were my age. I mean, sometimes some of the families from other noble houses would come visit with their kids, but I was never allowed to talk with them and always had to stay in the kitchen."

"Hmm, isn't that lovely. But still, what's with the morose face?"

"It's just... I wanted to help that person, but I couldn't do anything without you stepping in. If it wasn't for you, he would've beat me up pretty good."

"But isn't that a good thing? The whole me stepping in to help you?"

"Yeah, and thank you for that. But still...what if you hadn't been there in order to help me? What would have happened then?"

"Umm...err...I don't know."

After a moment of silence between the two, it was Nicholas who broke it.

"Lorenz, should I not have interfered back there and just minded my own business?"

The man just layed back into his chair, and after taking a deep breath then letting it out, he gave his response.

"Well, I honestly can't say. From the way you describe it, there seemed to be two choices available. You could either have interfered and gotten a good beating. Or, you could have just went on your way, and let that kid with glasses get that beating instead. At the end of the day, someone's going to get hurt."

"But wasn't helping him the _right_ choice to make."

"Hmm-depends on what your definition of _right_ is."

"Errr...what do you mean by that?"

"Well...ummm...here, let me put it like this."

Lorenz sat upright again, and continued to talk.

"Example kid, you see a guy drop a coin purse. Now you could give it back, but the guy who dropped is wearing clothes so fancy that they might as well be made of gold."

"Well, why does what he wears matter?"

"Because if he is wearing clothes like that, one lousy coin purse isn't going to cause a lot of pain for him. If it were me, I would keep it. After all, I could find more uses for the money than he could. Returning the coin purse would be the _right_ thing to do, but keeping it would be the more _justifiable_ thing to do."

"But...what does that have to do with whether I should've fought or not."

"Uhhh, what I'm trying to say is, are you more worthy of a beating then someone else?"

Again, there was a moment of silence between them. It was Lorenz who broke it this time.

"Look kid, there are a lot of people out there who find themselves in trouble, and no matter how hard you try, you can't save them all. Heck even if you do try you might not be able to do anything."

Nicholas just continued to listen with a depressed look.

"Some people say that the right decision is never the easy one. But for my money, I say that the right decision is the one that you can live with. After all, from the situation you described, neither choice sounded easy."

The boy looked down, thinking. Lorenz just started to stare out the window with his chin resting on his hand. A loud knock on the door drew both their attention, and a voice boomed through the door.

"Hey Lorenz, you there?!"

"Yeah Kuno, I'm here."

The man got up from his chair and headed for the door, while Nicholas was still sitting with a baffled expression.

" _Who the heck is Kuno?_ "

Lorenz unlocked and opened the door.

"Hey, what's happening?"

"Look, we gotta go."

"Huh, go where?"

While the two of them talked, Nicholas could only catch snippets of their conversation.

"She wants you-"

"-little busy-"

"-killed her-before he disappears-"

Lorenz gave a sigh and turned back to Nicholas.

"Errr...look kid, something just came up. So, uh...I need to go."

"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead."

"Thanks. Oh, by the way Kuno, this is Nicholas. Can't believe it took this long to introduce you."

Nicholas looked at the man in the doorway and gave a sheepish, "um, hello"

Kuno just gave him a cold, "hey there."

He then turned his attention back to Lorenz.

"Come on, we got to go."

"Alright, alright."

Lorenz then went through the door, closed, and locked it. The boy just sat at the table and rested his head in his arm.

" _Wasn't helping him the_ right _choice to make...the_ right _thing to do..._ useful _thing to do...the one that you can live with."_

Nicholas just continued to sit there for a little while, until finally, he got up from his chair, retrieved the rings from the coat rack, and went out the door. Making sure it was locked behind him, the boy just started to walk and walk. He went from street to street, around corners, and across blocks. He just let his legs take him where they wanted to go. Nicholas went on his stroll until he came across a playground. As he approached closer, he saw that it had a sand pit, a seesaw, a swing set, and plenty of children playing. Some played leapfrog, others climbed the local trees, a few rolled hoops, while the rest swang, seesawed, and played in the sand. But what Nicholas really looked at were the parents _with_ their children. He saw some help their children swing, some simply played ball, while others calmed others that cried. But in the end, the crying children were always stopped, and gave their parents a smile, while their parents gave them a hug. Nicholas looked at all of this with a mixture of jealousy and sadness. The boy continued on his way and simply moved along with his head down. He took a left, went up two blocks, then took another left, and continued on a bit further up the street until he came across the library. The building itself was made out of stone, with clear glass windows covering the walls. Limestone steps led their way up to pillars that supported the roof over the entrance. The structure was not perfectly rectangular as it had extended additions on both side that gave way to sharp corners. These corners usually had fountains, benches and trees filling them. Just simple, quiet spots. It was then that he heard something. Nicholas followed the sound he heard to the corner on his right, and there he found some familiar faces. They were the same two boys clothed in brown dress pants with black leather shoes, with one having a dark green, button up, short-sleeved shirt and blonde hair while the other had a light blue one with black hair. Once again, they were both looking at a boy dressed in brown pants, dark blue shoes, a white shirt, and a brown vest. He had glasses, freckles, and red hair. The only difference this time is that he had a bloody nose, and the two boys were pressing him up against the corner while partially being hidden by a tree.

"Well, well Wilfried. I got a feeling that I would find you here."

"Come on guys, you already gave me a bloody nose, isn't that enough."

"No, not yet. But after more punches, dirt, and a broken pair of glasses, _maybe_ it will be enough."

Nicholas, once again, spoke.

"Hey! Don't you two have anything better to do?"

All three boy turned to the speaker, and the blonde one named Engel gave a smirk.

"Hmph, today must be my lucky day."

He let go of his victim, who tried to creep away, but the black-haired boy made sure he stayed put. Engel made his way confidently to his opponent, while Nicholas walked up to him with a feeling of dispute in his step. They met together in the middle.

"Hey there...wait, what was your name again? Nicho...Nick...Nikki…?"

"Nicholas."

"Oh yeah, that's it. So, what do you want?"

"I want you to leave him alone."

"Hmph, really? Well you know the only way to do that."

Once again, Engel presented his cheek to the boy and tapped it.

"Come on, do it. Be the hero."

With the continued taunts, a look of enmity started to build on Nicholas's face, but he stayed his hand. His aspirant noticed this.

"Come on, bring it," he said as he pushed him again and again, harder and harder. With each subsequent push, the boy grew more and more irate.

"Come on...come on...come on and just hit me you daddy's boy!"

It was then that a sharp crack shot threw the air. Each person there stood there in shock with open eyes, except for the Nicholas, who had his eyes closed. He slowly opened them, and gazed at his open right hand. He then looked at his opposition's face, which had a red mark on his left cheek and watery eyes.

"Di-did you just slap me?"

"Umm...yes?"

Engel's face of shock turned to offense, and after a solid moment of silence between the two, he raised his fist and punched Nicholas.

* * *

Lorenz was walking down the street and took a right onto the stone road.

" _Damn it, that was a tough one. Thank god the bastard was wounded. Poor girl..."_

He went through the fence and made his way through the door, where the man found Nicholas sitting in the kitchen, holding a wet cloth to his left eye.

"Holy crap kid! What the heck happened?" he said, heading towards the boy. Nicholas looked up to him, with his face that was bruised and had dried blood on the upper lip.

"Oh, hey Lorenz. How are you doing?"

"Ermmm...I'm good. I should be asking _you_ that question."

"This? Don't worry about it, just ran into those guys you met today."

"Hmph, seems like you made your choice."

"Yeah, guess I did."

Despite the melancholy that was in the boy's voice, a smile started to creep across his face, and he started to lightly chuckle. Lorenz could do nothing but look surprised.

"Heh heh heh, ow...hurts to laugh."

"And what's there to laugh about?"

"Well, after that Engel kid was done beating me up, he called to his friend and they both left. Then that red-haired pearson, Wilfried I think was his name, then scampered off without saying anything."

"Annnd...why is that funny?"

"Because how pathetic is it that those two bullies completely forgot about the person they wanted to beat up in the first place. Heh, calling them scatterbrained would be an understatement."

Lorenz just looked at Nicholas with a slightly bemused face.

"Hmph, guess that is kinda funny. Now let me take a look at that eye, it might need ointment."


	7. Chapter 7

It was midday, and the light from the surface was barely making its way to the underground. The underground was still the same as it always was; a shiny cluster of light hiding the filth and decay. Beggars were on every corner, the only thing the men would do was play cards and drink, and it seemed that everyone had a knife or pistol,or both. The rare thing found on these streets though, were animals. These were the stray dogs and cats that found their way down one way or another. One of these animals, a dog with a lackluster grey coat, roamed the streets. It was sniffing from place to place, from spot to spot, trying to find something edible. The dog was like most of the animals and some of the humans down there, mostly skin and bone. But while they had very little meat on them, the important thing to the dwellers was that there was meat in the first place. The dog continued his sniffing, until he spotted a piece of bread on the street. It was only a quarter of a loaf and covered in dirt, but still edible, at least to a dog. The animal slowly approached the food, but before it could eat, a rustling gave something away. Out behind the corner ran a group of kids, all wearing ragged clothes full of holes and dirt, and all carrying weapons. Most of them were sticks, but a few had some rusty knives and one even had a net. They all ran screaming at their prey, and promptly, the dog ran. The children chased the animal through the streets trying to lead him into one of the alleyways. It was a constant cycle of the kids leading the dog to where they wanted him to go, but the animal making a sharp turn and the chase continuing. However, the children's tenacity paid off, when they finally cornered it in an open square. They all surrounded it yelling at each other to make sure they were all on their guard. The child with the net took his chance and cast his tool out. The net itself was just a bunch of mismatched rope tied together, leaving some squares that were oddly out of proportion to each other. However, that cast was ill-throne, and before the net could ensnare its target, the dog quickly ran between the child's legs while his bundle of rope hit the ground. With that the chase was on again, but the kid's luck had run out, as the dog ran under a broken down fence that was too high for the children to climb and too shallow for them to get under. Cursing their fate, they all sulked off. All of this was watched, however, by a pair of piercing blue eyes hidden in the shadows.

* * *

The dog kept running and running until finally it stopped, checking its surroundings to make sure they were clear. When it made sure the area was safe, the animal continued along its way, heavily panting after all that running. The dog continued to walk and walk until it came across a puddle of water that sprang from a leaky drain. Hardly drinkable for a person, but for a dog, it would do. The animal went over and began to lap up its fill, but while it was busy quenching its thirst, a shadow leapt from a nearby rooftop, and the sound of a yelp could be heard in the empty alleyways. As the shadow slowly stood up, it revealed itself to be a boy. He had blue eyes, jet black hair, fair skin, wore dirty black clothes full of holes, and held a bloody knife in his hand. He first looked down at the dog, who had a bloody wound on its neck, and then he proceeded to look up dubiously at the stone ceiling that enclosed him, with a single crack of light coming through.

* * *

Lorenz slowly opened up his eyes, looking at the ceiling that was above him. He slowly rolled himself up into a sitting position and stared out his window. The sky was a dark blue that was starting to be lit up by the orange of the rising sun. The man put his head in his hands, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

" _Ugh, hate it when my memories won't let me get some decent sleep."_

After his eyes were wide awake and alert, he stared out of his window one more time, let out a sigh, and got out of bed. Standing up, he did a few rudimentary stretches, the standard touching of the toes and a few arm pulls. After his body was nice and warmed up, he got into his normal wear of black shoes, black trousers, and white button up shirt that had a black vest on top. The man got the keys and knife off the top of his dresser and exited out of his door, making sure it was locked behind him. Sheathing the weapon into the left side of his vest, he then went to the room opposite him to peek in on the child. Nicholas was sound asleep in his bed, with a little bit of drool coming out of the side of his mouth. Lorenz smiled at seeing the boy sleep so peacefully and quietly shut the door. He then went downstairs and made a beeline straight for the pantry. Opening the door he bent down to retrieve a kettle, a tin box of tea leaves, a colander, and a wooden cup. After filling the kettle with water, Lorenz then lit a fire in the stove and put the pot on. He then waited and waited, until finally he heard the telltale screaming of boiling water. Putting the tea leaves in the pot, he poured the mixture through the colander into the cup. With that, Lorenz took his place at the table, and just spent his time drinking his tea while just letting his mind wander. He did this until the light of the morning fully broke through the sky. Noticing this, the man finished the rest of his drink and put the kettle on the back burner. He then got a pan and oil from the pantry to make a standard breakfast of eggs and sausage. He then began setting the table with plate and silverware, and as he was doing so, Nicholas came down dressed in a green shirt and brown pants.

"Oh, hey Lorenz. You're up earlier than usual," the boy said while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Well, what can I say? Had a bit of trouble sleeping."

After the food was done cooking, both of them served themselves and got their respective drinks, Nicholas juice and Lorenz milk. While they ate, they also talked.

"So Lorenz, what do you need me to do today?"

"Mmm...nothing major. All you need to get today are some more tea leaves and firewood."

"Huh, that all?"

"Nope, I also want you to do some work out of your language AND math book."

"Aww come on, both?"

"Now,now, I'm not asking you to do a lot today, so it shouldn't be that much trouble."

"But…"

"Then again, if you wanted, I could ask for a bit more manual labor than you just staying inside and studying."

"Alright, alright, I'll do it."

"Hmph, good."

Lorenz quickly scarfed down the rest of his breakfast and got up from the table after wiping his mouth.

"Alright kid, since I made breakfast you can do the dishes," the man said as he headed toward the door, "if you want seconds, feel free to make them."

He unlocked the door and opened it, but before stepping outside, he gave a reminder.

"Remember kid, tea leaves, firewood, AND chapter six in both books by the end of the day."

"Yeah, yeah I got it," Nicholas said in a distant fashion.

" And don't think you can half-ass it either, I WILL check."

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Nicholas said in a more focused manner.

Lorenz then left through the door with a simple, "alright."

Shutting and locking it behind him, the man continues on his way all the while thinking, " _geez, I didn't think kids would be this hard to deal with."_

He continued on his way, walking and weaving through the crowds, until he finally reached his destination of an alleyway with a figure inside of it.

"Hey there Kuno," Lorenz said in a mild manner.

"Hey," he replied back more apathetically.

"So anything interesting for me today?"

"Just this," Kuno stated as he held up a card that was red and had a black spiral of water on it.. Lorenz just looked at it with a blank expression.

"Aaaaand, how is this interesting?"

"It's your invitation to Manuel's bathhouse."

"Huh, didn't think I'd ever get a job from that guy," he said, taking the card.

"Yeah, it's a bit of surprise to me too."

"Well then, better get a move on."

Just a he was leaving, Kuno called to him, "make sure he pays you with money, and not some kind of discount at the bathhouse."

Lorenz just responded with a half-hearted hand wave and a, "sure thing."

With that, the assassin made his way from that meeting place all the way to the bathhouse. The bathhouse itself was two large warehouse-like structures next to each other, but instead of being made out of wood, they were made out of polished limestone. They always had steam coming through the grated holes that were on the sides, and the sides of the buildings had tiled pictures of water on them. The doors were average with plain wood carvings on them, but above the doors were large statues that denominated the gender of each building. Both figures were of a man or a women clothed in robes and pouring a vessel of water. Lorenz entered through the door under the man and made his way through the lobby. The foyer itself was the same limestone as the outside, with some very exquisite carpets that lined it, and a few benches with red velvet seats that lined the halls with a plant in between them. On the walls were paintings of various serene backgrounds that ranged from forests to open plains. The man approached the front desk that had a man with blonde hair in a uniform consisting of black shoes, red pants, and a red shirt. Behind him was a large board that had dozens of keys hanging from hooks. He greeted Lorenz with the friendliest of voices and the brightest of smiles.

"Hello sir, how can I help you?"

"Uhh, yeah. I'm here to see your boss," Lorenz said as he laid down the card. The man in uniform recognized its significance immediately, and took it.

"I see, please follow me sir."

He took a key from the board behind him and led the assassin to a door that was beside the desk, into the changing room. It was lined with cupboards that were locked and had numbers engraved on them. At the end of the room was a door made out of metal that led to the bathing area, and this is where the man and Lorenz stopped.

The attendant, still with a smile on his face, said calmly, "please undress."

Lorenz looked back with a face of consternation, "come again?"

"Undress, if you please," the man said as he held the key to him.

"Uhhh...why?"

"Because it is what my boss requires of you before entering."

Lorenz just looked at the man who just asked him to strip and still had the pleasantest of smiles on his face. The assassin just shrugged after a few seconds and took the key with a hint of suspicion. He went to his designated locker and got dressed into nothing but a towel with a pocket. He locked his possessions behind the cupboard and put the key into his pocket. Returning to the metal door, the man in red just continued to smile and opened up the door behind him leading to the baths. The baths were just a large, open building that had stone columns with intricate carvings at the top and bottom supporting the roof. In the middle of the building was a large, steaming pool that was shallow enough for a man to sit in and have the water come up to his shoulders. If you weren't tall enough for that, there was a shelf that jutted out from the side for someone to sit on. Off from the main pool were smaller ones, three on each side. Lorenz followed the man till they reached the end of the room. Before them, stood a gold, gilded door that was guarded by two burly, barefoot men wearing white bathrobes. The man showed them the card, and the one on the right made a gesture for them to enter. Sequentially, the attendant then bowed his head and made a gesture with his left hand for the assassin to enter. Lorenz went through the door to meet the boss. Behind the door was a room that was shaped like a dome, and in the middle was a round bath with a man inside facing his guest. The man was of pale complexion with a balding head of dirty red hair and had a bit of a belly. His arms were outstretched at his sides, resting on the lip of the bath while his towel was next to him.

"Awwww, the man I sent for. Come! Take a dip," he said, gesturing towards the bath.

"Ummm...sure thing."

Lorenz cautiously approached the man, laid the towel down at the edge of the bath, and got in. For a moment there was silence between the two, and it was the caterer who broke it. He took one of his arms away from the edge and outstretched it towards Lorenz.

"Hey there! The name's Manuel."

"Uhh, yeah. Nice to meet you. I'm _Messer_ ," Lorenz said stretching his hand out to shake. After the greetings, Manuel continued the conversation.

"Well _Messer_ , I guess you're wondering why I called you here?"

"Hmph, if I had to guess, it's because you want someone taken care of."

"Mmmm, yes and no?"

"...meaning?"

"I DO want someone taken care of, but I also want some people found."

Huh, you don't say," Lorenz stated, while resting his arm on the lip of the bath, "gimme the details."

"You see _Messer_ , there's a certain… 'complication' that came up recently."

After saying these word, Manuel gestured for Lorenz to come closer with a finger. The assassin moved so that he was next the man, with both of their hands resting in the water. The host continued his talk, but with a much more quiet tone.

"You see, a while ago one of my employees was cleaning the pools, as usual. However, he slipped and on of his coins fell into the bath. He came to me asking for permission to retrieve it, to which I acquiesced. But what was abnormal was, after retrieving it, he showed it to me," as he said the words, he reached for the towel behind and retrieved something from it's pocket, "and this is what it looked liked."

He held a copper coin up to Lorenz, a copper coin that had a light blue shine to it.

"What the heck happened to it?"

"That's what I wanted to find out, and I did. I took it to one of those professors out there and after some time, they told me that they had never seen a liquid that could have done this in such a short amount of time."

Lorenz then looked from the penny to the water he was in with a look of apprehension. Picking up on that, Manuel said, "don't worry, I gave a sample of the water to the professor, and they said that it takes a while for it to poison, but it will eventually happen."

"Huh, but still, what do you want me for? I'm an assassin, not a doctor."

"Well you see, I did a bit of digging, and it seems that some suspicious activity has been happening in a village, a village that is close to the underground river that fuels this bathhouse. I sent some of my more... 'personal employees' to investigate."

"And…"

"I recently got their heads mailed to me."

Lorenz gave a look of foreboding.

"I see."

After a moment of silence, Manuel spoke once again.

"This is why I need you. Go to where my men were investigating, find the person who's poisoning my baths, and take care of him. The receptionist you met at the front will show you where they last went."

"Understood. Oh and by the way…"Lorenz suddenly dunked his head fully under the water and reemerged, "thanks for the free bath."

"Don't mention it."

The assassin got out from the tub and put his towel back on and headed for the door. As he was leaving, Manuel called out to him, "by the way, once the job is done, how do I pay you?"

"Don't worry, a man will come and give you the details, just have the money ready."

"Well in that case, good hunting _Messer_."

* * *

Lorenz was left through the door of the bathhouse with map in hand. He walked the streets until he came across an open carriage and approached the driver.

"Hey there."

"Good day, sir."

"Mind driving me here?"

He unrolled the map, designating the location.

"Of course."

The man entered the carriage and was on soon on his way. He was taken through the streets to the west, past wall Sina and Yarckel district until they finally started going north towards his destination. They finally stopped in a village that was located in an open area. The size of it was average, and the houses were nothing spectacular, but very decent. Just an average village that people would stop in for a rest. Lorenz exited the carriage and gave the driver what was due.

"Mind staying here for a while?"

"Of course, sir."

_Messer_ continued on his business while the driver got out a newspaper and began to read. the man wandered about the town, from place to place, looking for anything suspicious. Finding nothing so far, he stopped inside the local tavern. It was a place that was nicer than the average stop-in bar, with much more friendly-looking patrons than Lorenz was used to. He took a seat at the counter and the bartender, who had an excellent handle-bar moustache, did his job.

"Hello there, what can I get you?"

"Ehhh, just a beer."

The tender reached under the counter and got out a wooden mug and a large brown bottle, uncorking it, he poured until it was overflowing with foam.

"There you are."

"Many thanks."

Lorenz took sips from his drink while he and the bartender talked on."

"So what brings you out here stranger?"

"Oh just business."

"Hmm, of what kind if you don't mind my asking?"

"Actually I'm here on behalf of a bathhouse and a bathhouse manager."

"Oh, so...an inspector?"

"Yeah, I'm just up here making sure that the water is good and clean. You know how it goes."

With that, two of the more unsavory patrons of the establishment took notice of these words, and promptly left...but not without Lorenz noticing.

" _Ahhh, I thought there might be some rats hiding out here, and it seems they took the bait."_

He then focused back on his original conversation.

"Tell me friend, are there any inns around here?"

"Only one, it's about down the street to your right. Not a bad place at all."

"Many thanks."

With that, Lorenz raised his mug with a smile to the bartender, and proceeded to guzzle the entire thing down with one gulp.

"Well, better get back to work."

"Hrmm, good luck out there."

The man put what was owed for the drink on the counter, took his leave and started heading straight for the inn. But before reaching his destination, he took a sudden turn down an alleyway between two buildings. Before he could reach the end, however, a figure proceeded to block his exit, and his entrance. The people who were at either side of _Messer_ were dressed in brown pants with black shoes, had the same dark purple shirts on, and both had knife holsters at their sides.

"Hey there gents, mind letting a man through?"

"Hmph, don't act cute with use, we know why you're here, and who sent you."

"Yeah, guessing your boss didn't tell you what happened to the last guys that came here."

"Oh, he did. I just know for a fact that the same isn't going to happen to me."

"Well, we'll see about that."

As the word were uttered, both assailants drew their knives, and for a moment, everything was still. That was broken when both of them rushed at the same time. The man to _Messer's_ left lunged at him with his knife. The assassin caught his arm and quickly ran along the wall to spin him around while still holding on. He then pushed him into his accomplice, stunning them for a second. Lorenz then gestured for both of them to try a bit harder. The man in front attacked first, swinging widely, which _Messer_ easily dodged. He then went in for a stab, the assassin caught his hand, then grabbed his shirt and slammed him against the wall. The second attacker saw his chance, going in for an attack. However, _Messer_ countered with a hard kick to his stomach, which sent him to the ground. He then turned his attention back onto the man against the wall, and repeatedly slammed the hand with the knife against the surface until he finally dropped it. Now disarmed, Messer then grabbed onto both of the man's shoulders, swiftly delivering a knee into his stomach. He then followed it up by placing the man's head in between his hands and kneeing him in the head. The first assailant was now unconscious. The second attacker got up, and after a tense moment of silence between the two, he struck once more. He went at the assassin with a barrage of stabs and swipes, all of which he dodged with ease. He then went for a wide slash with his knife, but _Messer_ just dodged it, went behind him, put one of his arms under the one holding the knife, and got the man in a choke hold. The person struggled desperately to get out, but since his arm with the knife was held in place, he could do nothing. Messer then just simply had to wait until the man passed out. When he was good and unconscious, he let the second assailant just flop to the ground. He had won. After letting out a sigh of victory, he got back to the task at hand.

" _Alright then, now let's see if you guys got anything on you that can help me."_

He went about rummaging through the pockets of his attackers. All he found on the one he choked out was a coin purse, which he kept. He went over to the next one and started to scavenge off him. This time, however, he found a coin purse _and_ a key.

" _Awww, must be to their room at the hotel."_

Lorenz then proceeded to put the two back to back, and put an empty barrel he found over them.

"Have a nice nap, boys," he said while lightly knocking the wood. He then exited out of the alley way and back to his original destination of the inn. The inn itself was an average one made of wood and had about three levels to it with windows for each room. Luckily, the receptionist was busy with another customer. Lorenz took the opportunity and quietly kept to the shadows in order to avoid attention. He then took the step until he reached the top floor, and made his way to his attacker's room that was at the end of the hall. When he arrived at the door, he knocked to see if there was a response. There wasn't. The man then unlocked the door and slowly opened it, making sure the corners were clear. He then entered the room fully and shut the door behind him. The room was simple with a bunk bed in the corner and bathroom to the right with a generic painting on the wall next to it. But it was also a mess, dirty clothes scattered about, unmade beds, and even some half eaten food just laid out.

" _Shit, even Nicholas keeps his room cleaner than this."_

Lorenz set about searching the place. He checked under the beds, the clothes, and inside the suitcases. Then he started to search the beds themselves, and it was under the mattress of the one on the bottom that had what he desired. It was a small, black leather notebook with a red string bookmark attached. The man opened it, and started to read. He saw random dates with reports next to them until he finally found something interesting. It was an entry that read; " _We finally arrived at the base, I can't understand why the boss follows that freak but, hey, money is money. We're camped out at some small mountain. There's a village about southeast of here. That's where the boss says we'll be stationed."_

A satisfied look crossed the assassin's face. He shut the book, tossed to the side and exited the room with haste. He shut the door behind him and left the key in front of it. Once again he sneaked his way out of the inn's front door and back onto the street. He then climbed up the nearest building till he reached the roof and scouted out the area. Lorenz looked and looked until he found what he was looking for. About northwest of the village was a small mountain. It was nothing spectacular, but was big enough to at least be called a bump. From there, Lorenz hopped down from the roof and made a beeline for the site. He made his way out of the village and straight into the forest. He just kept going and going until he picked up on the sound of voices. Lorenz quickly ducked behind some bushes, trying to ascertain the location of the voices. He waited and listened, until he pinpointed them on his left side, as they were coming up. The assassin made slow, deliberate, movements until he finally spotted the source of the conversation. It was a pair of guards that were dressed in the same outfits as the attackers, however, they were armed with muskets, as well as knives. Lorenz found a hiding spot behind a boulder,and just waited and listened.

"So, how long before we can get out of here?"

"Eh, not long. From what the boss tells us, that guy should be done with his whole 'project' pretty soon."

"Man, I really don't like him. Feel like I'm going to wake up one day and find myself strapped to a table."

"Likewise."

The assassin continued to follow and listen to them, until they finally came to the face of rock wall. It was covered in vines, weeds, and other greenery, but the guards moved to a certain spot that had a very odd looking bush. One of the men pushed the fake plant out of the way, revealing a crawl space that was big enough for a full grown man. The two entered and made sure to put the fake bush back into its place. Lorenz reached into the right side of his vest and retrieved two black leather gloves. After securing them on his hands, the assassin _Messer_ made his move. He approached the entrance with caution, making sure that no one was around. The man removed the cover, and started to crawl through the dark entrance. As he made his way through, he heard the shouts of orders and the roar of fire come closer and closer. _Messer_ finally made it through to the other side, and what he saw was surprising. A giant cave over a large pool of rushing water, and near that pool, a massive wooden tub over an enormous fire pit. People were running about in the same uniform as the guards, carrying various buckets of liquids and solids. They would pour the contents of the buckets over a ledge into the the tub below, while torches and lamps were scattered everywhere providing as much light as they can. Someone shouted, "IT'S READY!"

All the workers dropped whatever was in their hands at the time, and rushed over to a rope that was connected to a side of the tub. They simultaneously began to heave and the side of the tub began to lift like a floodgate until all the contents drained into the rushing pool. They lowered the side of the tub until it was in place and began to brew whatever the connection was once more. The assassin, after taking in the sight, got back to work. Seeing as there were no available hiding spots on his level, he looked elsewhere. Gazing upward, he saw that the rock wall near him was very climbable. He found a foothold and began to climb. _Messer_ climbed and climbed until he found a ledge that was thick enough for him to stand on. He then shimmied his way across, avoiding the workers below, until he saw one worker that was a bit bigger than the rest. It was not only his size that distinguished him, but the fact that he carried around a sword with a gold hilt in a black and silver sheath.

" _He must be the boss."_

The man with the sword was moving with purpose to a certain location, a location that _Messer_ was going to follow him to. He carefully made his way along the ledge, making sure not to lose track of the man with the sword. The leader finally stopped at a cave that was at the top of a large slope. The cave itself emanated a bright orange light from within. The assassin continued to shimmy until he was right atop of the cave, climbed down until his feet were right above the entrance, and eavesdropped on the conversation below.

"Say boss, how much longer until this plan of yours is done?"

"How many time must I tell you that it will be done when it's done! Besides, I thought you and your gang didn't care as long as you got your money on time."

" _Ahhh, I had it wrong. The guy with the sword isn't the boss. He's merely the helper."_

"I don't, but the men are starting to get restless. They aren't the type who like work like this. It's why they joined my gang."

"Hmph, well too bad. They're going to put up with it as long as I'm paying them."

"Ugh...alright then, but if they kill me you better be sure that they'll come after you next."

With that, the gang's leader exited the cave, and that was _Messer's_ cue to drop down. The assassin landed on the ground as softly as he could, and drew his knife. With each step, he crept closer and closer to his target. The man who he was approaching had on a green trench coat, and had short spiky hair. He was working over a table, and had various charts and diagrams nailed across the wall. The source of the light coming from the cave were the many lanterns that hung from the ceiling. _Messer_ got closer and closer, ready to pounce, until the target saw him from a mirror that he had attached to the top left corner of the cave. As the assassin went in for the kill, that target spun around and blew a concoction into his face. It made the man cry out in surprise and pain as his eyes watered, and the target took this as a chance for him to escape. He ran as if the devil himself were behind him, all the while crying out, "KILL HIM, KILL THAT MAN WITH THE VEST!"

Every worker and their boss heard him as he went flying straight from the cave to the hidden entrance. _Messer_ quickly followed him, although he was extremely handicapped by the fact that he needed to keep rubbing his eyes. However, as his eye became clearer, the obstacle between him and his target become more-so. About half-a-dozen people in purple shirts armed with axes, swords, and daggers were in the way. Seeing this, the assassin sheathed his knife back into his vest, and leapt toward the crowd. The first man was armed with a sword. He swung down at him, but he just dodged and pushed him further behind. The next one was armed with a musket and bayonet. He stabbed at him, but he just grabbed the weapon and spun him into the wall. It was a constant flow of dodges, duck, and back-rolls, from the assassin. He was nearly to the hidden entrance, but the boss of the gang was in the way, with sword unsheathed. It was a massive beast of a sword, and he swung it with all his might as _Messer_ ran towards him. The assassin would have been chopped in half, had he not slid on his knees. The sword did come a few centimeters of chopping his nose off though. In the clear, he ducked into the crawl space, while hearing the boss yell, "AFTER HIM!"

Finally outside, _Messer_ looked around for his target. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the rustling of leaves, and heard the distant breaking of branches. Following his eyes and ears, he spotted his mark running away from him, frantically. The chase was on. The assassin closed in on his target like a bloodhound on a fox. Needless to say, physicality was not the trench-coat wearing man's forte. Not noticing his footing, the man on the run lost it and stumbled down a steep hill until he landed face down. He tried to continue, but he was obviously hurt. Seeing his chance, _Messer_ drew his knife once again and slid down the hill. But before reaching the bottom, he used his sliding momentum to leap right off the hill, landing on top of his target. He tried to get away, but the assassin had a firm grasp.

"PLEASE! NO!"

But it was too late, as _Messer_ quickly slit the man's throat before he could say another word. The contract, was complete. Lorenz slowly got up from his kill, and looked to the sky while taking a deep breath. He then heard the sound of many footsteps coming after him. The boss and his gang quickly appeared at the top of the hill.

"Awww shit. Looks like we came too late."

Lorenz and the boss made eye contact with each other. A conversation soon followed.

"So, it seems like you're the one who killed our employer."

"Yeah, looks that way."

One of the boss's men soon interjected.

"Come on guys, let's get him."

"YEAH!"

But before any of them could take a single step, the boss raised his hand in disagreement.

"No, there's no need for that."

"Bu-but why?"

"Because, seeing how easily he dodged all out attacks, I think we would have a hard time bringing him down," he then looked to Lorenz, "besides, killing him won't earn us a coin."

Lorenz just smiled back and replied, "that we can both agree on."

"But boss, what will we do now?"

"Why, we find our next employer of course! Until then, there's a hidden place behind us that's filled with some expensive stuff. So what do you say boys...WHO'S UP FOR SOME PLUNDERING!"

The group yelled with glee and ran back to where they came from. But before they all left, Lorenz called out.

"Hey, the boss."

The man looked back at him with a look of irritation.

"Satisfy my curiosity, why was your employer doing all of this in the first place?"

"Ehhh, from what I could piece together from his rambling, he was the employee of some big-shot manager within wall Sina. He was in charge of making luxury products or some such, but apparently his boss snubbed him out of the credit and took all of it along with the money for himself."

He then looked down at the dead man with a mixture of sadness and surprise.

"Huh, who knew inventors were so vindictive?"

With that, the boss took his leave. _Messer_ gave one last look to his target and bent down to remove the glasses on his face so that he could close his eyes. After putting the glasses back, he set back for the village.

* * *

The sun was setting in the sky, casting shades of twilight upon the town when Lorenz finally arrived. He got out of the carriage and paid the driver what was due. They bid each other farewell and the man continued on his way back to the bathhouse. He walked and walked until he finally got to the main entrance. In front of it, stood the blonde-haired man who greeted him inside.

"Hey there, I thought you were supposed to be in charge of the front desk."

"Oh, I am. However, the baths are closed at this time, and the manager wanted me to wait out here until your return."

"Riiiiight...so uh, if you would be so kind, could you tell your boss that the job he wanted me to do is done."

As he said the words, Lorenz handed the map back to the receptionist, which he took back with a smile and a bow, all the while saying, "of course."

With that, they parted ways, and the assassin headed back for home, he traveled the street until he arrived at his front door. Unlocking and opening it, he went inside.

"Hey kid, I'm home."

But no one answered. He called out once again, but still no response.

" _Hmm, the door to the basement isn't open, so he can't be down there."_

The man headed for the kitchen, and it was then that he noticed the pieces of paper on the table. Picking the note that was on top, he read; " _ **Dear Lorenz, if you are reading this, then I've not arrived back home yet. I did all the tasks that you required of me, including the book work. I'm just out for a walk, I'll be back."**_

Lorenz put down the piece of paper, and picked up the other two pieces of paper in each hand.

" _Alright then kid, let's see if you actually tried."_

He scanned both papers, looking for the tiniest of mistakes.

" _Hmm, let's see...that's good...that's good too...correct...correct...a mistake there...good. Huh, a couple of mistakes, but overall, a pretty good job."_

Setting the papers back onto the table, he then looked around the house.

" _Seemed that he also cleaned the house too."_

Lorenz then smiled in the most mellow way, took a seat at the table, put his feet up, his hands behind his head, and simply rested his eyes


	8. Farewell

Hello,

This letter is a farewell to my followers who have been reading my fanfiction. The event prompting this farewell is the decision to pursue a professional writing career through Amazon self-publishing. I have decided to release all of the fanfiction that I have started but didn't finish. I thought about merely deleting it, but that seemed like a waste. Apologies in advance to anyone who gets attached to the stories they read since I don't intend to finish them and focus **solely** on my writing career.

Regarding my _Black Clover: Tales of Blood,_ I would like to earnestly thank every one of you for your kind comments and willingness to read my amateur writing. It was you all that gave me the confidence to try the real thing and create original stories of my own. For that, I would like to say ' _thank you'_ sincerely. For anyone curious to read my first book, it is available for purchase on Amazon in both ebook and paperback format.

Link to buy here: [https://www.amazon.com/Jack-Book-1-T-G-Cooney-ebook/dp/B08FZ7K693/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=t.g.+cooney&qid=1599250988&s=digital-text&sr=1-1](https://www.amazon.com/Jack-Book-1-T-G-Cooney-ebook/dp/B08FZ7K693/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=t.g.+cooney&qid=1599250988&s=digital-text&sr=1-1)

The story is about a high schooler named Isaac 'Angel' Ortiz, who encounters a mysterious girl named Myla and their adventures.

For updates, follow me on Facebook and Twitter at T.G. Cooney. For more information, go to tgcooney.com 

Whether or not you buy the book, I would like to thank you all for everything, and never be afraid to chase after your dreams.

Goodnight and good luck.


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